The Escapism Artist
by AutumnEnthusiast
Summary: After months of poring through study abroad opportunities, Sunny latches onto a program offered by her mother's church. The school she'll be studying at looks gorgeous and prestigious, and no other option is cheaper. Everything seems too good to be true until she finally walks into her hosts' house, and the events that follow bring her to the harsh realization that... it was.
1. The Art of Unflattering Introductions

Even though Sunny Specht knew her chauffeur's vintage beetle was crawling towards the mansion in the distance, to her it looked like it was approaching them, ready to engulf the car like the black waves at her hometown's beach engulfed crabs on stormy days. The fact that the mansion - she could even call it a _castle_ if she was feeling generous - was the only thing around didn't help her smother her discomfort.

"Is that where I'll be staying?" she asked. No response. _Fantastic_.

She got her answer when the beetle stopped at the mansion's tall iron gates. When Sunny was little, her mother would take her to Fall Carnivale in Derry. Fall Carnivale had a haunted house that she'd always been too chicken to check out. This mansion reminded her of that haunted house. T

he beetle took off the very second her duffle hit the cobblestone, leaving Sunny alone at the mercy of the tide.

It was almost dusk and cloudy to boot, and yet she saw no lights on inside. Had her hosts forgotten about their arrangement? Still, the door creaked open (eerily as hell) when she pushed. Sunny paused. Closed the door. Knocked and waited. She couldn't just barge in! _No bad first impressions_.

After a period of uncomfortable silence, a young man opened the door. His suit looked well pressed, and the glove on the hand he used to push his glasses up on his nose was pristine. He glowered at her from inside the doorway.

"We do not like solicitors," he stated. _What a good way to start things out_.

"No... I'm supposed to live here, right?" Sunny asked, confused.

The young man's glare darkened, and Sunny wished she could melt into a puddle and disappear into the cracks between the cobblestones. "It seems we have had some communication issues. We can discuss matters inside. Follow me."

Sunny hefted her bag inside the foyer and noticed an older man standing to her right. He looked friendlier than the younger man, with smile lines around his eyes, and she couldn't have been more relieved to see him. This must be her host. Pity he had hired such an unfriendly doorman.

"Hello, my name's Sunny. Nice to meet you," she greeted him with a polite bow before raising her head again and shooting him what her mother had affectionately called her "blue-ribbon smile." The man looked at her expectantly, his his hands folded in front. Then, he gestured to her bag as if he wanted her to give it to him.

"Follow me," the younger man spoke from behind her, venom in his voice. Oh, gosh. The older man was this place's doorman. And she had just greeted him like he owned the place! She probably looked like a royal idiot right now!

Sunny waved goodbye to the doorman, cheeks burning crimson red, and sped away to catch up with the other, nastier man.

"I'm sorry about that… sir," she said. A pause. "Well, uh, you heard me introduce myself. How should I address you?"

"'Reiji' works just fine," he replied. The corners of his lips twitched. Sunny would take anything positive at this point.

"Are you my host, or…?"

"One of them, yes."

"Oh!" Sunny was a bit taken aback. He looked so young, even if he dressed twenty years too old for himself. "Who are the others?"

"My brothers."

"Brothers plural?"

"There are six of us."

"Six of you! Huh. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone. Are you hosting anyone else?"

"You're a chatty one." Reiji's statement didn't strike Sunny as a jest. "There is another girl here. You will meet everyone soon enough."

Sunny got the message. _Silence, commoner._ Okay, maybe he hadn't meant _that_ , but he still wasn't being very nice right now. She shut her trap until they entered a massive living room, when the overwhelming luxury of everything finally destroyed her self control.

"Ohmygoodness this room is so _pretty_!" This room really was gorgeous. The couches were elegant, the carpet fluffy, and the staircase to her left gave the room a practical (if a bit austere) frame. Not a cushion sat out of place, and every single item in the room looked worth… two month's rent of the apartments she'd been looking at online. Sunny tried to collect herself. "I'm sorry. I'm gushing, aren't I? Sorry… it's just a wonderful room. You're very lucky to live here. I'm jealous! Oh, but I-!"

"Reiji, what's with all this racket? Is another human girl to stay with us?"

The dream she'd been living shattered as red flags flew. Firstly, why was this fourteen-year-old talking like he was fifty? Secondly, she hadn't made that much noise! Most importantly… "human" girl? He was joking, right? This was some weird quirk of his awkward early teenage years, right?

"Is he… one of your brothers?" she asked, struggling to glue the "blue-ribbon smile" back onto her cracking face.

"Yes, she will be staying with us, apparently," Reiji addressed the boy first before turning to her. "This is Kanato, and yes, he is my brother."

"You guys really aren't in the loop, huh," Sunny said more to herself than anyone else.

"She doesn't smell awful, I suppose," Kanato spoke after sneaking up behind her to SMELL. HER. _HAIR_. Sunny jumped back to keep herself from smacking her boy into next week.

"Kanato, please refrain from being so forward with the new brides. It's unbecoming."

"I'm sorry, the new _whats_?"

"Don't mind Kanato, he's just being stingy," a new voice piped up from behind her. Sunny spun around. He was close! Too close! She staggered back as he tipped his hat at her. "You smell very appealing to me. My name is Laito, by the way. Another brother, if you hadn't figured that out."

 _APPEALING_?! Sunny tried her best to put Reiji between herself and the other two. Laito was smiling at her, which was better than any other treatment she'd gotten here, but his smile looked… cold. "Nice to meet you, Little Bitch."

"Excuse me?" she managed to choke out. Any trace of a smile was long gone now, but Sunny had the manners to at least try to hide her disgust.

"Will you people shut UP?" another boy yelled from the top of the staircase. He finished his outburst by slamming his fist down on the railing, which creaked and gave way under his hand. Sunny noticed a few other indents in the railing at that exact moment.

"You're the loudest one here, Subaru," Laito chimed in. "And you're scaring our guest."

"He's not the only one scaring her, Laito," yet another boy said. "You're creepy as fuck."

Sunny blinked. The redhead hadn't been sitting on the couch a second ago, and she hadn't heard him enter the room at all. The boy on the couch met her eyes and grinned at her. Not a nice grin. A predatory one.

"Oh, dear lord," she muttered under her breath.

"Ayato, where is Yui?" Reiji asked the redhead.

"She's sleeping," he replied. Sunny frowned. It wasn't _that_ late, was it? Yui must be one hell of an early bird.

"Now that we are all here," Reiji began. "Does anyone know anything about her?"

"She's just another sacrificial bride," someone said from behind her. Sunny spun around. There was another boy on another couch next to her. _God_. Couldn't anyone here say "hello" like a normal person?

"You keep using that word. Bride. I don't know anything about being a bride," Sunny measured her words out carefully. She wasn't brave enough to bring up the "sacrificial" part.

"Yes, yes, brides typically arrive confused." Reiji dismissed her comments, waving his hand. "You do not need to know much beyond the fact that you will be staying with us. No need to bother yourself with questions."

Sunny had around a million questions, though, and they were _all_ bothering her. Why was she a bride? Who was she about to fucking marry? Were they planning on throwing her into an active volcano at some point? Why had Kanato specified that she was a _human_ girl?! Reiji looked at his patience's limit, however, and everyone else in the room freaked her the fuck out. Except maybe the blond. He looked like he was in the middle of a nap. She decided not press.

"Um, then, if it isn't too much trouble, can one of you please show me to my room? I'm very tired from traveling," _please be Reji please be Reiji please volunteer Reiji_ -

"I would _love_ to show the new Little Bitch to her room!" Laito said. _No_. _No no no no_ -

"Hey, Yours Truly wants the honor of-!"

" _I_ can take her to her room," Reiji stated. Firmly. Thank goodness. "I need to explain a few house rules as is."

"Oh, that's such a shame," Laito pouted. "Oh well. I'll see you around, Little Bitch!"

 _I sure as hell fucking hope not_ , Sunny thought to herself as he retreated down the hall they had entered from. Ayato glared at them before stomping out himself, and Subaru followed suit. Lovely people, the lot of them.

"Do you like to bake?" Kanato asked, peering at her from behind a teddy bear.

Sunny was a bit taken aback by the question. "Ye-es, I do… oh. Oh. I'm sorry, there's flour on my pants. I met my hosts with _flour_ on my _pants_ -"

"Don't worry. I think we will get along well," Kanato said as he turned to walk out. "Right Teddy?"

 _Weird_. Oh, lord, she was living with a bunch of _freaks_. _GOD_. Reiji still looked mildly disappointed with her. Maybe that was just how his face settled. Either way, she felt responsible for all… _this_ , somehow.

"I'm sorry for being such a mess. I know this isn't a good excuse, but I wasn't expecting any of this, and it seems like you guys weren't either."

"You apologize a lot," Reiji observed.

"Ah, yes, you're right."

"If you do not make mistakes, you will have nothing to apologize for."

"I… uh… I can't argue with that." What the _fuck_?

"I am glad we see eye to eye on that. Follow me." Reiji walked away and headed towards the staircase. Sunny tiptoed past Shu, and her small gesture of courtesy seemed to upset Reiji more than any other single thing that had happened that day. "Do not worry about Shu. That good-for-nothing needs to sleep less anyway."

"Fuck off, Reiji," the blond, Shu, grumbled. Sunny couldn't help but gawk at the exchange. Shu opened one eye to study her, and frowned. "You'd better follow him before Mr. Perfect gets his whip out."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Sunny forced a laugh, searching his face for humor and finding none. She heard Shu snort as she scrambled up the stairs.

"First rule, obviously, is no breaking things," Reiji began when she caught up. As I am sure you have guessed, everything in this house is valuable. I would even venture as far as to say that most objects here are more valuable than you are."

"I won't break anything," Sunny promised, trying to sound polite despite the sting of indignation she felt at Reiji's comment. "I'm actually… kind of afraid of touching anything in here. That sounds bad. Is that bad?"

"If it keeps you from breaking one of my favorite dishes, I welcome that fear. Do you have a cell phone?"

"I actually didn't bring one. I can still write down your guys' contacts, though."

"No worries. We have a strict phone policy in this household anyway."

"Okay, sure. I was under the impression that I'd be attending school while I live here…?"

"Yes, we go to night school. Your classes start in a few hours, so you should get some sleep before then."

"A few _hours_? Am I registered for classes?"

"Not that I know of, but this school accepts many last-minute students, and you may be in their system already. I can easily get a uniform for you. Size 11, yes?"

"Huh?" Sunny stared at him. Reiji smirked as he reached behind her neck with his gloved hand to tuck in her sweater's tag. Sunny gasped like a fish on hot asphalt, wringing her hands out in front of her, disgusted by the heat in her cheeks. "Oh, sorry! I mean - thanks for that."

Reiji gave her the closest thing to an actual smile that she'd seen from him since she arrived, and Sunny couldn't help but wish that one of these guys could have a smile reach their eyes. The grins and smirks had all been so fake and judgy, Reiji's current not-frown expression included.

At least they ended their conversation on a good note. If she could call it that. Reiji paused in front of a door at the end of the hallway and opened it for her. "This is your room."

Sunny did her best not to stare too much. A canopy bed. And it was queen-sized! Holy hell, these guys were loaded. Something didn't feel good in the pit of her stomach.

"It's… amazing. Thank you. Are you sure you want to give this room to me?"

"It is one of our guest rooms. You are a guest."

"Thank you…"

"I will have one of the others wake you in a few hours."

She was too entranced by the room to fully comprehend the implications behind what Reiji had just said. When it finally registered, and Sunny spun around to object, he was gone. These brothers moved so quickly. And quietly.

There was something deeply unsettling to her about this entire goddamned mansion-castle, but Sunny couldn't put her finger on what that was. Hell, maybe it was just travel fatigue making her anxious. That had to be it.

Her suitcase and Duke, her stuffed sheep, was already on her (queen-sized, canopy) bed, and when Sunny opened a drawer in the dresser by the (queen-sized, canopy) bed, she found her clothes already inside. Quickly, she showered (the bathroom, her private bathroom was so nice), blow-dryed her frizzy hair in a futile attempt to keep the beast at bay, and climbed into her (queen-sized, fucking canopy) bed in her pajamas.

Despite the soft pillows and soft mattress and kitten-soft pink sheets, she couldn't relax. She couldn't. Still, she could hope against hope that she might get a good few hours' sleep. After studying her luxurious surroundings one last time, Sunny reached over and turned off her lamp, plunging the soft pink room into darkness.


	2. Seven New Friends

"Gooooo-ood morning!" an obnoxious voice called above her. _Ugh_. "Actually, it's eight at night, but 'good morning' sounds better, right?"

Sunny pried her eyes open to glare at Laito. Of course he was the one waking her up. Of course.

"Right. Night school," she muttered, feeling self-conscious as she wiped a drool trail from her cheek. "When do we leave?"

"In half an hour."

Sunny groaned. She could have slept in another few minutes. Laito didn't know her routine, she reminded herself. Annoying as he was to be around, she had to cut him _some_ slack.

"Such a shame, though," he sighed.

"Huh?"

"I thought we could have some fun before class, but it looks like you'll have to spend that time on your hair," Laito mused as he patted at her disheveled bangs.

Sunny realized something at that exact instant. Laito hadn't leaned over the side of her bed to wake her up, like any normal person would have. He was _on top of her_.

Breath hitching in her throat and heart pounding in her chest, Sunny shoved as she bolted upright, and Laito mercifully fell backwards. Not backwards enough for her liking, though.

"Don't _do_ that! Oh, my _god_ ," she gasped, clutching at her chest before grabbing Duke and squeezing her eyes shut. Once she had her breathing back in control - _five seconds to inhale, five to exhale_ \- she opened them and glared at Laito, who had the nerve to look more amused than anything else. "I'm not going to apologize for pushing you."

"As you shouldn't," Laito said, smile showing no signs of going away. "I'm sorry for scaring you. You just looked so cute in your pajamas with your little stuffed animal. I couldn't help myself."

He didn't sound or look sorry. She was normally a light sleeper. How the hell had Laito managed to sneak up on her like that? Sunny wanted to scream at him, but bit her tongue. _Courtesy_. _Manners_. "Just as long as nothing else happened while I was asleep."

His smile widened into a grin, making her stomach churn. Sunny squeezed Duke even harder and gave him the best death glare she could muster.

"Oh, don't worry, I would never do something awful to you in your sleep."

Again, she didn't believe him. Lord above, had he really emphasized the "in your sleep" bit? She was going to lock her door from now on.

"Before I go…" Laito began, leaning forward and reaching out to her, grin unwavering. He traced his thumb along the other side of her cheek to wipe off another drool trail, and she shivered. Something took her mind off of his invasion of her space, and her breath hitched in her throat.

His hands. Had Laito just dunked them in _ice_ or something?

"You're freezing," Sunny whispered, rage melting into concern as she reached out herself to grab his hand. Curse her maternal instincts. Why was he so cold? "Laito, are you alright?"

"Are you worried about me, Little Bitch?" Laito asked. All maternal instinct drained away. "That's adorable, but there's no need for you to fret. We just run cold."

" _Really_ cold."

"Correct." Laito studied her expression. "I'll let you to get ready, now. Your uniform is on the bed."

Sure enough. There was a uniform, size 11, on her bed. It wasn't too fancy, and black went with everything.

Still. She frowned, a bit unsettled by how quickly Reiji had found one for her. This uniform had too many bows. The skirt also looked too short for her liking. She hated skirts.

Well, even if it wasn't her style, she'd look cute.

Sunny grabbed the uniform and shuffled over to her mirror to survey the damage. She hadn't done good enough a job blow-drying her hair last night. Wait. Not last night. A few hours ago. This was all so weird. Her frizzy hair looked like a lion's mane - _that_ , she had come to expect in the mornings - and the left side of it protruded upwards like a sun-starved potted plant crawling towards a window.

Her hair was dry, so brushing would only make things worse. She swatted the protrusion back into place best she could and smothered everything with bobby pins. She really should just chop all the mess off. Maybe she could do that now that she was in Japan and her mother wouldn't be around to moan about it.

Her uniform went on last - blouse and skirt and leggings underneath and all those unnecessary _bows_ \- and after brushing her teeth, Sunny bolted out of the bedroom. Hopefully, she'd still have time to find the kitchen and snag some dinner. Breakfast. Whatever. Again, this was so _weird_.

Quickly, Sunny realized that finding the kitchen or _anything_ in this godforsaken mansion was a pipe dream. After walking in what felt like circles in a maze of hallways for ages, Sunny began to get concerned that she might not even be able to find the front door. Breathing became more and more difficult as time went on. _Five seconds in, five seconds out_. There wasn't even anyone around for her to get directions from! Was she seriously going to be late to class on her _first_ _day_?

She was so desperate when she wandered into what looked like a library that she didn't notice the obstruction in the doorway, and Sunny tripped and hit the ground gracelessly, with an even less graceful noise.

The obstruction was Shu. Shu was lying in the middle of the doorway. On the floor. Thank goodness the library's rug was plush. What the hell was _with_ these people?

"What the hell?" she complained, rubbing at where her knee hit the carpet. Her leggings hadn't torn. Thank goodness.

"You're noisy," Shu muttered.

" _You're_ in the way!" she complained. "Why are you napping here?"

"Reiji gets upset when I sleep on the furniture."

"Doorways are still inconvenient for everyone else, you know. Oh, whatever. Don't you have class? Ah, I'm going to be so late-" Sunny noticed that a few of her bobby pins had come out during the fall and scrambled to pick them up. "...oh, no, I'm such a mess…"

"Do you ever shut up?" Shu grumbled. "It's like a constant stream of noise."

"Hey!" Sunny protested.

"You'd better get going."

"What about you? You're in uniform too. Don't tell me you don't have class."

"I don't feel like going."

"Look," Sunny seethed, trying to keep her voice level. "Buddy. Pal. I have no idea where anything in this house is. Can you at least tell me where I'm supposed to go? Sorry for my tone here. One of your brothers just gave me the creepiest wake up call I have ever experienced and I've been running around lost and I'm kinda desperate here. Again, sorry for taking that out on you - you don't deserve that - but can you please-"

"I'll show you out. Just… stop talking. Please."

"Sorry," she said. "I tend to babble when I get frustrated or nervous or-"

"Stop. Talking." Shu got up.

"Okay, yeah, sure."

They walked together in silence. Sunny really didn't appreciate the suffocating quiet of the mansion, which was making her feel like a smothered goose. Sure, she could get on people's nerves back at home, but these guys made every comment of hers an affront to decency. It was driving her berserk.

After way too long (how big _was_ this place?), they reached the front door and stepped outside. Of course these pricks drove a limo to class. Had she really been expecting a van of some sort? What were they, _peasants_?

"You're late," Reiji reprimanded them with a scowl. Shu ignored his brother and walked past him into the limo, which only deepened Reiji's frown. Great. He'd just hung her out to dry, hadn't he? Now she had to settle the waters.

"I'm sorry, I got lost," she explained. "Maybe I could get a tour so this doesn't happen again, if that isn't too much trouble?"

Apologize. Offer solutions. Be courteous. Reiji's expression didn't soften, but Sunny liked to imagine she saw his displeasure erode a bit. Baby steps. "We can arrange something."

Sunny thanked him and stepped into the limo. Its interior, true to everything else she'd seen here, was sophisticated and elegant. Sunny was partial to burgundy anyway. If Bailey could see all of this, he'd lose his mind. She all but melted into a plush seat, struggling to keep a giddy grin off her face. There were already six other people in the van when Reiji got in behind her. Wait, _six_ others?

"You must be Sunny," a blonde girl between Ayato and Laito piped up. Her voice sounded like muted chimes. God, she was gorgeous. Clearly tired - Sunny couldn't blame her for that - but still… _gorgeous_. "It's nice to meet you."

Funny. This was the first time that anyone seemed pleased or even okay with seeing her. A welcome change. Sunny shot the girl a smile, hoping she didn't look too relieved. "Yeah, that's me. You must be Yui. Nice to meet you, as well! How long've you been here for?"

The small, polite smile vanished as Yui's pink - _pink?_ \- eyes widened. "Six months?"

"And these guys don't give you too much trouble?" Sunny joked.

"Well," Yui glanced left and right, looking like a rabbit among foxes. Had she… not gotten the joke? "I'm still here."

"Fair enough," Sunny said. Again, she wanted to keep a conversation going, but felt talking was inappropriate. _Eurgh_. Thankfully, Reiji kept things chugging alone by handing her a small package and clearing his throat.

"This is your lunch."

"Oh, thank you!" Sunny rifled through the container's contents. Dark chocolate. Orange slices. Almonds. It was the nicest looking salad she'd seen in a while. Ooh, and was that pumpernickel bread homemade? Reiji also handed Yui a similar package, and she flashed a weak smile back at him.

None of the guys got lunches, however. Odd. After showing up late and angering Shu with her blathering, however, she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself. Another question unanswered.

"No need to thank me," Reiji replied. He must not have packed the lunch himself. _Duh_. They had staff for that, didn't they?

The limo continued silently, and Sunny resigned herself to the soundless void. Even so, she could swear she felt six pairs of eyes glaring at her.

At one point, Kanato started to talk to his teddy bear, and a weight fell off her shoulders. Subaru started to pick at the torn parts of his uniform. Shu leaned back with his earbuds in, eyes closed. Yui fidgeted with her bows as Ayato tapped his foot beside her. Sunny made the mistake of catching Laito's eye, and her lip curled as he winked at her. Reiji stood watch over the lot of them, the limo's disgruntled gargoyle of sorts.

Eventually, _mercifully_ , the limo pulled up to her new school. It was gorgeous like literally everything else in her new, bizarre life. Unsurprising. Couldn't something be imperfect so she could stop feeling like a sow's ear among silk purses, please? Subaru's uniform was a mess. She'd take it, even if it somehow managed to look like an aesthetic choice on him.

"Guess what, Little Bitch?" Laito dragged Sunny from her thoughts by smacking her lightly on the back. "We're in the same math course!"

No. _Fuck_ no. Fuck this guy! _FUCK_! "Oh, alright," she said.

"You look tense," Laito observed.

"Everything's so… big. And fancy." The Country Mouse act had gotten her _this_ far with them, hadn't it? "I feel kinda out of place here."

"It _is_ a nice school, isn't it?" Laito said, fidgeting with his stupid fedora.

"They let you wear that hat here?" the question slipped out. Maybe she could get away with one of her beanies or baseball caps. That would solve a few bad hair days.

"It's more that the staff turns a blind eye to it. Networking has its advantages."

"Huh," she said. Laito could hold a genuine enough conversation with a person to build a network? Color her impressed. Or did his family's wealth do the talking? She forced back the thought. Sunny had to stop being so unforgiving of them.

She should probably be networking with the brothers herself at this point. Though she was loath to admit it, the only brother that didn't seem to hate her was… Laito. She hadn't seen much of Yui yet, but she'd try with her as well when she got the chance.

"So, uh… how's this math teacher?"

"He's alright. We get along. Oh, but he's fairly strict, so no funny business in the back of the classroom." Why did he have to _wink_ as he said that?

Okay, Laito, if we wanna have any sort of friendship here, you're gonna have to stop… winking at me like that. And calling me 'Little Bitch.' And invading my personal space all the time." Might as well rip the Band-aid off now.

"I don't want to be friends with you," Laito said, frowning. "You're a sacrificial bride, so I have no need to."

"Oh, um…" Sunny stammered, shocked. These brothers were really starting to creep her out. She needed to talk to Yui. Laito smiled at her.

"Don't worry, though. I find your naiveté adorable," he reassured her (it had the opposite effect).

"Why am I a 'sacrificial' bride?" She had to ask at _some_ point. "Even if _you_ think my not knowing anything at all is cute, I don't think anyone _else_ does, and I hate having to constantly ask questions."

They reached the classroom, then, and Sunny took the desk directly behind Laito's despite her better judgment. He smiled at her again. She hated that none of the brothers' smiles ever looked real. "You'll find out soon enough, Little Bitch."

"Okay, yeah, I'm sure," Sunny said, doing her best to keep herself from sounding like she wanted to reach out and strangle him (which she did). "But I don't think that this is something I want to figure out empirically. The 'sacrificial' thing doesn't sit well with me, y'know?"

The teacher walked in as she spoke and began writing on the board. Sunny shot Laito a desperate look, but he simply shrugged. "We don't have the time to properly discuss this now. You should ask someone else later."

"Someone else!" she exclaimed, practically frothing at the mouth. " _Who_ else?!"

"Reiji _loves_ to gift people with his knowledge," Laito suggested, then grinned when he saw the doubt on her face. "...when you catch him in a good mood, that is."

"I'd much rather you tell me now, if I'm being honest."

"I'll tell you if you give me something in return," Laito offered. She didn't like the look in his eyes, so she kept quiet. His smirk deepened. "You aren't scared of Reiji, are you?"

"No," she said - too quickly, damn it. "I just get the impression that he doesn't like me very much."

"Oh, and you think that _I_ like you?"

Sunny opened her mouth and closed it again, studying his expression. She'd made a mistake talking to him. She had to phrase this carefully. "I don't think that you hate me. I can stop talking to you, if you'd like that."

"You're such a nervous little thing. I do like you, by the way."

"I'm flattered."

The teacher tapped his desk to get everyone's attention. He ignored the new presence in his classroom, to Sunny's relief. She glared at Laito one last time before reaching into her bag to grab a notebook and pen. Math, at least, was familiar. She could adjust to this new life. She could do this.

* * *

Math class was fairly uneventful, thank goodness, as were the rest of her day. Sunny was glad to have chosen a seat that Laito couldn't reach without having to turn around. She had a ton of homework to catch up on already, though, and she wasn't going to have much time to talk to Yui tonight with that and her daily run. This new schedule was foreign to her, but she still wanted to keep her daily run a constant. Classes went from nine until five in the morning, and she could see the first hints of sunlight to the east on their (silent, uncomfortable) drive back.

Sunny couldn't wait to get out of her frilly skirt. Fucking skirts. She had been worried it would ride up in the back every time she stood. Her leggings were the only thing keeping her sane.

After heading to her room, changing into track pants and one of her lightweight long-sleeved athletic shirts, Sunny went to find Reiji. He was the one to ask for permission for these things, right? Again, she wandered through the hallways for way too long before wandering into Ayato, who was shoveling a pudding cup into his face by the pantry. He looked almost guilty when she found him.

"Hey, Ayato-"

"It's 'Sir Ayato' to you. Or 'master' if you prefer."

"I'm not calling you either of those. We're both high school students. It's weird."

"Then I'm not going to help you with whatever you're here for."

"Fine," she spat. _Choose your battles_. Fuck these guys. "Can you tell me where Reiji is, _Sir_ Ayato the Generous?"

"I don't like your tone."

"Please?"

"He's in his study."

"I don't know where that is."

"I'm going to need something in return if you want directions."

Seriously? He was going to be like this? "Well." Sunny scrunched up her nose. She could be nasty, too. "I won't tell Kanato that you ate his pudding cup."

"What?" Ayato glared at her. "This is mine.

"Someone literally wrote 'Kanato' on it!" Sunny hissed, jabbing her finger at the name scribbled on the side in impossibly neat cursive.

"You're a bitch. A fat bitch."

"Okay, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, but you're the thief. Where's Reiji's study?"

"Down the hall. First door on the left after you turn right at the end of the hallway," Ayato snarled at her. Damage control time.

"Thanks, Sir Ayato." The title seemed to placate him a bit, or at the very least he stopped looking like he wanted to bash her head on the floor. Good. Sunny sped away from the frustrated boy and knocked on the aforementioned door. A voice inside told her to come in.

"Hey, Reiji, it's me," Sunny said as she entered, looking around. Reiji's study looked straight out of a comic book villain's secret laboratory. Beakers of all shapes and sizes, some filled with mystery fluids, lined whatever shelves weren't filled with books, and tables around the room held even more beakers and notes. Not a thing looked out of place. Had Reiji been in a lab coat and goggles, the image would have been perfect. She couldn't help but gape. "Wow, this is impressive."

"Thank you," Reiji said, scribbling in a notebook. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if there were any good trails around here. I wanna go on a run. I usually do around four or five miles."

Reiji looked up from his notes and gave her a once-over through narrowed eyes. "How long will this run take?"

"I'll be back in an hour or so. Is that alright?"

"I suppose," Reiji stated after a moment. "There's a path out back that goes down to the lake. Once around and back is just over four miles."

"That's perfect!" Sunny exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. They had a lake in their backyard! She started for the door. "I'll be careful, don't worry! And thanks!" She walked out of his laboratory, paused, and poked her head back in. "Erm… where's the front door, again?"

* * *

It was a perfect night outside. Half moon. Gentle breeze. Around thirteen degrees. Predawn hugged the horizon, and the clouds to her east were just starting to pinken up. She normally ran a bit later than this, but hell, she was already awake, and she'd be better able to focus on her schoolwork afterwards.

Her one complaint was that the forest surrounding the lake was eerily silent. There were birds around here, surely! Even in Derry during the height of Fall Carnivale, she heard crickets at night if she wandered far enough from the fairgrounds.

She liked to run. It cleared her mind on bad days and left her feeling refreshed once she showered afterwards. Jeannette once told her that running was good for mental and physical health, and while she hadn't looked into it herself, Sunny always felt calmer after running a few miles. Running gave her time to think and be alone.

This wasn't exactly a peaceful run, though. Sunny huffed as she dodged sticks and tree roots in the path. It must not get much use. Did the brothers not make use of their own private lake? A branch hit Sunny in the face, and she stopped to feel at the scratch. No blood, but it would probably swell up soon. She should make a project out of clearing this path out a little.

A twig snapped in the distance as Sunny was about to begin running again. She barely heard it over the sound of her breathing, but it was there. Steadying her breaths best she could, Sunny strained her ears and listened for another noise, but didn't hear anything. Strange. She jogged a few steps and ran smack into what felt like a wall before losing her balance and tumbling to the ground. Swearing, Sunny rubbed her shoulder and glared upwards.

She hadn't hit a wall. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Subaru shouted at her, unfazed by the 60-plus kilograms of girl that had just slammed into him full force. She cringed at the sound of his voice. Too loud.

"I was just-"

"You thought you could run away, huh?"

"What?" she cried out as Subaru hauled her to her feet. The ground churned beneath her. "Why the hell would you think that?"

"Don't play any _stupid fucking games_ with me!" he roared, squeezing her wrist. Sunny's breath snagged. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, threatening to crawl into her throat.

She tried to inhale, but couldn't.

Subaru started to drag her behind him, his fingernails digging painfully into her arm in a grip stronger than Sunny thought possible.

She couldn't breathe.

"Let - let go of me," she gasped, clutching at her chest. The lake and trees swirled around her as darkness crept in from all sides. "I can't-"

"SHUT UP!" His hand tightened even more. Her wrist groaned under the pressure.

"Subaru-!" her voice was barely a whisper at that point. She was dying. Her heart was going to ooze out of her ears and mouth and nostrils.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" His hands were on her shoulders now, burrowing into her flesh. Shaking her like a rag doll. She couldn't even see his face. Just his eyes. Glowing red coals.

"Can't… breathe…" she managed to choke out between feeble gasps for air that never reached her lungs. Her voice was a hoarse gasp. "I can't breathe!" Warm, wet trails streamed down her cheeks. "Subaru, I can't breathe!"

She hit the ground. Cool, damp earth pressed up against her cheek and nose. A welcoming embrace. Count in fives, you fucking IDIOT. Sunny forced herself to stop gasping for a second, despite her lungs' screeching and heart's pounding drowning out everything else in the entire world.

 _In one, two, three, four, five._ She tried to focus on the loose threads in Subaru's jeans. _Out one, two, three, four, five._ She could see red stitches around some of the tears. _In one, two, three, four, five._ Someone had done a bad job trying to repair them. _Out one, two, three, four, five._

After about ten in-out rotations, Sunny could feel Subaru's hand on her shoulder. Hopefully, she had enough of a voice to tell him to fuck off.

"Subaru." It was hoarse, but audible. "If you don't get your hand off me right now-" How threatening was she now? She didn't care. "I am going to fucking lose it again." The hand didn't move. "I will vomit all over you _so help me God_ -"

That did it. His hand went away. Sunny did her five-second breaths over and over again until she could see the lake in the distance and feel her gelatin legs. Shaking, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Standing wasn't an option yet, let alone walking.

"I was going on a run, you absolute asshole."

"It looked like-"

"I got permission from Reiji first! Don't you guys talk to each other?!"

"You'll get into trouble with that attitude."

"I hate you. I _hate_ you!"

Subaru didn't say anything in response to her outburst. Had she crossed a line? Definitely. Was it deserved on his part? _Absolutely_. A few minutes passed. "Can you walk yet?"

"No," Sunny sobbed, trying to adjust her leg through all the trembling. "I can't." Subaru frowned, looking exasperated, and Sunny's frustration gave way to rage. "Look, I'm sorry, but I thought I was going to die a few minutes ago thanks to you and I think you owe me some time to r-"

She shut up when Subaru lifted her off the ground. For a few seconds. "Listen here, fucker. If you drop me I'll-"

"You'll what?" Subaru growled. "Vomit on my shoes? I know, I'm an awful, unlovable person, okay? Are you happy now!?"

"That's a guilt trip and you know it!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"Forget about it." Subaru snarled. "By the way, I'm only carrying you because Reiji would have my ass if I didn't bring you back. I'd leave you behind if it weren't for that!"

"THANK GOD FOR REIJI, THEN!" Sunny yelled at him. "GOD BLESS MY LORD AND SAVIOR REIJI!"

"Subaru, what is going on here?"

They were back at the mansion. Already? What the hell? How was that possible? "I thought she was trying to escape and she freaked out when I tried to bring her back. You said she could go on a run?"

"He attacked me," Sunny chimed in, the blatant omission dragging her from her thoughts. "I just want to put that out there."

"I told her she could go for a run," Reiji answered Subaru before addressing her. "Frankly, the attack is your own fault."

"What?!"

"You did not communicate your plans with the rest of us."

"I'm wearing running clothes! He should have been able to figure that out on his own! Even if you give him the benefit of the doubt, the conclusion he jumped to was ridiculous!"

"I disagree," Reiji stated, leaving Sunny dumbfounded. "Subaru acted according to a chain of logic that I understand well. Besides, you need to learn some manners."

" _MANNERS_?!" she screeched. "THIS ISN'T ABOUT MY _MANNERS_ , YOU _PRICK_!"

"Are we done here? Can I take her to her room and be done?"

"Yes, I wish to be done with tonight's excitement. We can discuss your actions tomorrow, Sunny."

Sunny seethed the entire way back to her room. They passed Ayato in the hallway, and it took every single last ounce of her restraint not to flip him off when he grinned at them. This was fucking humiliating. She hated this goddamned giant house and all of its inhabitants. Now she could see why Subaru thought she was running away! Who would want to live here? Subaru dumped her on her bed as soon as they entered her room and turned to leave.

"You guys are all assholes," she said through clenched teeth as he walked out.

Subaru paused in her doorway and glanced out into the hall before shutting himself in the room with her. Sunny frowned, more than a little perturbed.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Are you threatening to kill me?"

"You're insufferable. The others won't keep you around if you keep acting like this."

"Fine by me! I don't want to stay here an-"

Faster than she thought anyone could move, Subaru appeared at her bedside and clamped an icy hand over her mouth. "Are you a fucking idiot?" Startled, she shook her head through his hand. Subaru glared at her, his red eyes narrow slits. "You're sure as hell acting like one. You aren't going to last three days in this house."

Sunny pried his hand off and scooted away from him. "Are you seriously trying to suggest that your brothers are going to kill me if I'm rude to them?" No response. "Come on, Subaru." Still nothing. "This isn't funny!"

"You're hopeless," Subaru snarled, grabbing her wrist. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed anything strange about this place."

Sunny frowned, glaring at him. "Of course I have."

"But you're still clueless."

"What's a 'sacrificial bride'?"

"Your church sent you here, didn't they?" Subaru asked, and she nodded in response. "They sacrificed you to us."

"That's an awful way of putting it. Is one of you is going to try and marry me or something?"

"Probably, if you don't die first."

"But you guys aren't actually going to kill me if I don't go along with this, are you?" Sunny pressed. There was no way she was going to marry one of these guys. She couldn't do it. "You aren't murderers."

Subaru glared at her. She swallowed.

"There's no way," she whispered. "Someone would notice. The churches you get girls from would notice. The school. The police. Come on. You aren't murderers. You guys are all my age."

"I'm over two hundred and fifty years old."

"What? No, you're not."

"Oh, my fucking _god_."

"Don't talk to me like that. It's condescending and you have no right to be condescending right now. What you're saying is absolutely _insane_. You expect me to believe that you're that old? What, do you guys stay immortal by doing satanic rituals outside? Don't make me laugh. This is fucking _crazy_."

"It's true, though," he said. "...the immortality bit. We don't do satanic rituals. We're vampires."

"You're full of shit." There was no way. "You guys move really quickly and have cold hands and all that crap, and you… go to night school… but that doesn't mean I'm going to believe you. Fuck off. This is _crazy_..."

"We have fangs," Subaru pulled his lip up, revealing sharp teeth.

"I said fuck off! I don't want to talk about this anymore!"

"You're so fucking stubborn," Subaru let out a noise that she could only describe as a growl and pulled her wrist towards him, pressing her hand to his chest. "Don't you feel that? I don't have a heartbeat!"

Dear lord, he was right. That explained why they were so cold. There was nothing working to push blood through their veins. Dear _lord_. "Next you're going to be telling me that you sleep in a coffin or something."

"Vampires don't need to sleep in coffins and avoid garlic and crosses. I don't know where you humans get all of that nonsense from."

"You humans," she echoed in a small voice. Humans as in _the other_.

"I do sleep in a coffin, though."

Sunny fought back the urge to laugh in his face. This was fucking insane. "I just called Reiji a prick."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"And I'm supposed to marry one of you guys? I'm supposed to marry a vampire?"

"We haven't married any of our brides before." The implications of that statement hung in the air, and Sunny stumbled out of bed. Spots appeared in her vision due to the exertion.

"How many girls have come through here before me?"

"About a hundred."

"Holy shit," Sunny whispered, backing away from him towards the door and hoping he wouldn't notice. He noticed.

"Stay away from me. I probably taste awful," she said, reaching toward the doorknob as he started toward her. Subaru grabbed her wrist with a cold hand that felt wrong against her clammy skin. Of all times, her body chose now to freeze. It wouldn't have mattered. He was so much faster than she was. Even so, Sunny cursed her bones and organs and traitorous muscles. _Worthless_.

"I already know your blood won't compare to hers," Subaru stated. Her feet dragged against the carpet as he pulled her close, clutching her hair with an intensity that made her wince. "I don't care. I'm thirsty."

"I can pour you some water - _ow_!" With a painful tug at her hair, his mouth was on her neck, teeth boring into the skin above her collarbone.

Pain and panic blocked out reason.

Despite her better judgment, Sunny bucked away from him and shoved with all her might.

She could hear - hell, she could feel - the rip as her skin cleaved in the desperate attempt, tearing jagged lines from the initial puncture wound to just under her ear.

Then, with a string of foul language, Subaru relented and she tumbled to the floor.

Sunny pressed her hand to her neck. It pulsed as blood spurted out, staining the fluffy pastel carpet bright red. Stunned, she could do nothing but stare as the stains slowly spread.

Her neck was spurting blood like a faulty sprinkler system. Subaru scooped her up in his arms and rushed out of the bedroom, calling for Reiji. This whole situation was fucking ridiculous. If her vision weren't going black, Sunny could have laughed or cried. Probably both. She was such a fucking idiot. _Useless_.

She deserved this.

At least she'd die before becoming one of the brothers' dinners.

Reiji hovered over her and Subaru stalked behind him. Strong hands pried her own away from the wound, leaving nothing to stop her life from draining out of her body. Letting go, Sunny lolled her head back and recognized the rainbow of beakers in Reiji's lab - getting blurrier by the second - before slipping into nothing, resigning herself to allow the darkness to take her.

* * *

 **After some deliberation, I've decided to post here as well as Ao3. You're welcome to read this wherever you please, but know that I'm making some minor tweaks as I post chapters here. Either way, I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to review and let me know what you think! :)**


	3. Illusions of Choice

Sunny forced herself to open her eyes, knowing the florescent light of her new bedroom would hurt. She blinked through crust, squinting at the ruffles in the curtains of her queen-sized, fucking canopy bed. At least the room was a soft pink and not white. The light could have been even more painful.

Gingerly, she lifted a hand to her neck, absolutely disgusted by how limp her arm was. As she expected. Two puncture wounds, pea-sized, dangerously close to her jugular. She could trace the ridges in her skin, just barely scabbed over, from when she'd fought to dislodge his fangs.

Sitting up was a nightmare made even worse by the view of the nightgown that she hadn't been wearing when Subaru tried to suck her blood. _Fuck_. Sunny pulled the covers up to her neck, the movement making her feel like she was rediscovering each and every one of her muscles after a year of being a vegetable. It couldn't have been a year, though. Based on what Subaru had told her about his dear brothers, they wouldn't have kept her unconscious form alive for a week.

Her arms trembled from the exertion required to hold her own body upright, so she leaned back against her headboard, cushioned by an unnecessary number of pillows. _Repulsive_.

Something shifted ever so slightly on the other side of the room, and Sunny's eyes rushed to catch the movement. Shu sat at her desk, head rested on his arms. Surely the brothers hadn't appointed _him_ as her guard. Was he asleep? Were his earbuds playing anything? Would he even notice if she walked out right now?

She thought back to the lake. Subaru didn't seem like the type to tail her for two miles before attacking. He had tracked her somehow, and snuck up on her quickly. She didn't know much about vampires yet, but superhuman senses weren't out of the realm of possibility, and Sunny didn't want to begin drawing the boundaries of that realm in her current state. Laito's comment about networking came to mind. She could network here and should start immediately. She had to get a grip on her situation somehow.

"Shu?" she asked him. "Are you awake?"

"Yes. I hoped you wouldn't be today, though," he answered, not bothering to look up. Networking with these guys was going to be a real pain in her ass.

"How long was I out for? What time is it?"

"Fifteen hours. It's ten-thirty at night. Thursday." His answers were as short as he could possibly make them, but she wasn't about to give up.

"You guys are vampires."

"I can't believe it took you that long to figure out."

"Yeah, well, most people don't go into old mansions expecting vampires," Sunny snapped before she could catch herself. _Damn_. Time to backpedal. "...to be fair, I'm not… the most observant person, either."

"Got that right."

"I would've preferred someone told me before Subaru jumped me. Or before I called Reiji a prick to his face."

The last bit got Shu to at least turn his head to look at her. She'd suspected, but jeez, he and Reiji did _not_ like each other. Sunny felt disgusting using that rift to gain leverage, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Not telling you anything was more entertaining, though."

"I'm glad you found that funny, but is he going to kill me?"

"He'd whip you first." Good lord, he said that so _casually_. Shu tilted his head, drinking in what must have been a horrified expression on her part before continuing. "But we all more or less agreed that your neck injury was punishment enough."

"That was fucking awful. Pardon my language."

"I don't really care about your language, unlike the prick."

He seemed to be in a good mood. "Can I ask you a few questions, please?"

"Whatever."

"Where are the others?"

"They're in class. I stayed behind to watch you because it's easier to stay here," Shu explained, surprising her. She hadn't been expecting that detailed an answer. Shu sat up and rested his head on one hand, studying her. "I can keep you here well enough myself. Even if it's a lot of trouble and I don't want to deal with that."

"Okay, message received." He had read her like a book. An incredibly stupid book. "It's not like I'm going anywhere right now, though. I feel awful."

"I don't put it past you to try and run anyway." His frown deepened.

"Fine, fine. Next question. Will locking my door do me any good?"

"No."

"Are there any other house rules that I didn't get filled in on when I arrived? Even unspoken ones?"

"Don't speak at family dinners, don't make fun of Kanato's stupid bear, and don't go into the basement."

"What's in the basement?"

"Nothing good."

"I was hoping for something more specific."

"Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Who changed me into this?" The words that had been building up in the back of her throat tumbled out before she could stop them. Shu couldn't have looked more disinterested.

"Does it really matter?" he snorted.

"Yes, it does!" Sunny whined, clutching her arms to her chest. Her voice was an octave too high. "It really does!"

"Do you think whoever changed you _did_ something?" Shu asked, one eyebrow raised and a small smile tugging at his lips. Sunny wanted to slap him. "That's pretty lewd of you."

"C'mon Shu, this is serious!"

"You really want to know, don't you?" he asked. Sunny clenched her teeth together.

"I do, but… you're trying to make a deal with me, aren't you? I'm not bargaining with you. You have five other brothers. I can get my answer from them."

"You may be right." Shu pulled the chair back and stood up. "But…" He took a few slow, deliberate steps toward her. "I don't have to make deals to get what _I_ want."

"Hey, no. No. I just woke up. I can barely do anything right now. You can't suck my blood, I'll die. You realize that. C'mon, Shu." Keeping her voice level at his approach was difficult... as was keeping her breathing steady. _In. Out._

"I don't want your blood right now, though. I'm hungry, but I'm not stupid enough to try drinking any of it with you looking like that."

"Then what do you want?" Sunny asked him. She glared at him best she could, knowing she didn't look intimidating as she was. She knew the question was a mistake as soon as she spoke. Shu bared his teeth at her in a grin.

"I want you to guess what I want." He was at the side of her bed. Sunny grabbed Duke and scooted over to the far side to get away from him, hiding under the covers. _Shit_.

"You want me to make you something to eat?" He had said he was hungry. Shu laughed quietly and climbed onto the bed.

"Wrong answer."

"Get off."

"Subaru was right. Your breathing does quicken when you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid." Not as long as he stayed on the other side of the bed.

"Your heartbeat says otherwise." Shu stretched out on the bed, resting his head on one of her many pillows. "So? No other guesses? Your head really _is_ in the gutter."

"No it's not!" Sunny protested. She flinched as Shu reached out to her. He looked almost gleeful as he pressed a his index finger to her mouth.

"I want to take a nap. And you need to keep quiet if that's going to happen."

"You can sleep in your own bed."

"Yours is right here, and I'm already in it, and I'm comfortable."

She couldn't win. Not now, at least. "If you try anything, I swear…"

"Don't worry, I won't take your clothes off."

"That isn't funny."

"Go to sleep, earsore. You need to recover so you can be useful."

"Maybe I don't _want_ to be useful to you guys," Sunny muttered under her breath.

"Complain to Reiji, then. See how that goes."

He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Sunny stared at him. He looked like he was in a good mood. She could push. "Shu? Last question. For real."

One eye peeked open. "What."

"I… uh…" she didn't know how to phrase her question. Or even ask it. "Will…" Both eyes were open now. He looked annoyed. Her throat tightened, warning her of tears ready to spill over. Sunny shoved question out anyway. "Am I ever going to see my friends again?"

"Probably not," he answered.

"How can you _say_ it like that?" Her vision was blurry through the tears gathering in her eyes. "Like… like you don't even _care_."

"Because I don't. _We_ don't. Humans are prey to us. Nothing more."

Sunny let out a gurgle of frustration and furiously wiped at her face. Fuck these guys. Fuck these guys! "Subaru said I'm Bride Number 100."

"He's exaggerating. You're actually Bride Number 83."

"I may be your 83rd bride… in theory," Sunny stated, glaring at him through the film in her eyes. "But I'm not going to marry any of you guys, and I'm not going to be the 83rd headstone in your goddamned graveyard."

"Brides don't get-"

"I'm not dying here." It was a promise, and Shu had heard it, so it was real. Tangible. Sunny wasn't going to let these fuckers kill her. She was going to find a way out of this stupid rich person house one day or another.

"Alright," Shu said, taking her in for a moment before closing his eyes. "I look forward to seeing you try."

* * *

She woke again to the sound of the brothers' limo rolling into the driveway. Shu was gone, and the only sign of him even being there in the first place was the indent in the covers on the other side of her bed. Watch duty was over, she guessed. And so was her period of rest.

Did Sunny feel well again yet? No. Was she going on a predawn run anyway? Absolutely.

Getting out of her bed and putting on her running clothes was awful, but she persisted and hobbled out into the hallway. Blood rushing through her veins was a good thing. She was going to own this. If she was going to have six guys feeding on her whenever she had any blood to give for who knew how long, she was going to have to learn to cope with anemia. She needed to run. She had ran through tougher circumstances. She just needed to find the damned exit to this mansion first.

Five brothers and Yui looked up at Sunny when she finally made her grand entrance at the top of the living room staircase, clutching the railing for support. One look of concern. Five of disinterest.

"Ah. Shu just told us that you were awake," Reiji said, sounding about as invested in her recovery as he looked.

"Yup, I'm awake. I'm going on a run. Can someone tell Shu so we don't have a repeat of last night, please?"

"You aren't going to be able to run away from us," Ayato sneered at her. Did he think she would _tell_ them about leaving the house before trying to escape? What a fucking moron. She hated him. She hated all of them.

"I'm just going around the lake. You can tag along if you want." She didn't want him to tag along. Not in a million years. "I'll probably be really slow because I'm recovering, but if you're concerned I'll get away…"

That did it. Bingo. "I'm not concerned with you. Just don't pass out on your stupid run. Yours Truly doesn't want to deal with that."

"I'll be back soon," she said, trying her best to look sprightly as she walked past the vampire horde. They'd have to be complete idiots not to be suspicious, and Sunny was oh-so-ready to prove them wrong by being the most well-behaved blood bag they'd had yet. Maybe not _too_ well-behaved, though - she didn't need them suspecting her of plotting while she plotted - just enough to keep her out of the reach of Reiji's whips.

She scurried outside and let the door close behind her. She'd do warm-ups once she was away from the hell house.

Once she had warmed up at a safe distance, Sunny followed the path she was familiar with, straining her ears for any signs of wary vampires. They had instituted a guard for her while they were away at school, but didn't find it necessary to have someone watch her run around outside. At least, to her knowledge they didn't. Presumably, they figured that they didn't need one of them watching her now.

Sunny needed some way to figure out exactly how fast they could go if she was going to try to run away at some point. She could try knocking valuables off of shelves within eyeshot of Reiji at steadily increasing distances and seeing if he could stop them before they hit the ground, but she could only do that a few times before he'd whip her. There had to be other methods.

What else could she do? _Think_. Her chest ached, as did every other portion of her body. There was no way she was going to get away from them on one of her runs if this was her new normal. No, she had to control as many aspects of her escape as she possibly could. Her best chance, from what she knew now, was to isolate herself with one of the vampires at the mansion while everyone else was in school and somehow… overpower him. Somehow.

This was going to be harder than she thought.

What did she know about these guys, really? Their blood relations to one another didn't translate to brotherly love. Reiji and Shu hated each other, and Subaru just… seemed mad at everyone and everything. If she could figure out which brothers hated which other brothers, she could find a way to weasel crucial information out of them. Or gain their trust. Either way, she wasn't going to sleep well during the daytime knowing she was trying to manipulate her way out of this mess.

Who could she trust at this point? Subaru, maybe. Shu? Laito, if she was willing to deal with the name-calling and harassment, and Reiji, if she made up for calling him a prick. She'd have to mollify him somehow. Ugh. Kanato had glommed on when he saw the flour on her pants. Maybe he liked baked goods? She could bake well enough. And Ayato thought she was a bitch. Why couldn't she have been more observant? Sunny wouldn't have called Reiji a prick and blackmailed Ayato had she known they were murderous vampires!

She could see the mansion approaching in the distance, a splotch of black amongst the pink clouds and orange sky of dawn. _Think_.

She'd get back to the mansion and chart out relationships between the brothers in her notebook and dispose of the page. Then she'd make Reiji a quick bread loaf and apologize for screaming at him. Then she'd twiddle her thumbs and study and try not to sleep for twelve hours before heading off to class. Sunny knew from experience that she could sleep for that long, but also loathed what happened to her when she did. She wasn't about to go there. Maybe she should start running in the evenings before school. Two runs in one day seemed excessive, but it was better for her than daring to skip another run. Especially now.

She would get inside and chart relationships. Make an apology loaf. Study. Run the weakness away. It was a plan.

Upon walking back into the mansion, Sunny realized she should have planned for disturbances. This stupid mansion had six of those. Ayato sat at the bottom of the staircase, glaring at her. What now?

"You look awful."

"Did you… wait here to insult me?" she asked, taken aback.

"No," he said, the edges of his mouth stretching into a smile with too much teeth exposed. "Yours Truly waited here to let you know that we're even now."

"Huh?"

"You stole Laito's razors, didn't you? It's actually pretty funny that you think you can kill us with those."

"He went through my stuff?" Sunny asked, horrified.

"What? The Great Ayato went through your stuff and gave them back. You should be honored I even bothered with you."

"That's…!" she sputtered, hardly able to contain her indignation. Push it down. Suppress the rage. "Fine! Okay! But I didn't steal his razors."

"I thought girls didn't shave."

"They're for my eyebrows. They're _purple_."

"So are Laito's."

"Give them back!"

"You're going to have to ask Laito for them," Ayato said. She hated that stupid grin of his so much. "His room is down that hallway. Turn left at the spiral staircase."

No negotiations needed for this set of directions. What an asshole. At least she hadn't changed and showered. Maybe if she walked into his room disheveled and drenched in sweat he'd be less flirty. Hopefully.

"Laito?" she asked, cautiously, when she arrived. "Can I come in?"

The door opened, revealing Laito wearing pajamas and his signature sly little smile. "Hey, Little Bitch! I was wondering when you'd show up, but look at you! So eager to see me that you didn't change out of your running clothes first."

"Isn't there anything else you could call me?" Sunny groaned as she followed him inside.

"I could drop the 'little' if you'd like," Laito snickered, plopping down on an armchair by his fireplace and motioning for her to join him. She was not about to make this visit any longer than it needed to be.

"Calling me 'Sunny' also works. Look, I don't mean to be rude-"

"Then sit." It wasn't an invitation. She hadn't heard this tone from him before and didn't like it. Sunny obliged, and Laito pulled open a drawer of the table next to him. "Would you like a macaron?"

"Um, sure…" She'd always loved the look of macarons, but had never eaten one. They were always too perfect to bite into. Laito had an entire rainbow assortment, and she could tell he liked the orange and brown ones by how few there were left. "What flavor is this one?"

"That's raspberry," Laito answered, grinning as she plucked it out of the box.

"They're all really pretty, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," Laito said, taking out a brown one before putting the box back in the drawer. "Cheers!"

They tapped their macarons together and Sunny bit into the cookie. They reminded her of the meringues her mother made around Christmas that she used to eat until her tongue swelled up, but these were softer and had a stronger flavour.

"It's delicious. Thank you."

"I always like to see what flavor each new bride chooses. When I can."

"I can see how that would be... fun..." Sunny said. "And, uh, 'when I can' meaning…?"

"When Kanato doesn't get to them first," Laito replied, looking at her through half-lidded eyes. "Yui chose vanilla, by the way. I think it suits her."

"Nobody seems to like the mint ones," Sunny noted. Laito snickered behind his hand.

"The green ones are pistachio. You're too precious."

"Thanks? Um, Laito, I really appreciate the macaron, but I'd like to change out of these clothes. Can I have my razors back, please?" She didn't want to spend more time in the wolf's den than was absolutely necessary.

"I thought we'd have a nice conversation first."

"About what?"

"Whether or not I should return them to you."

"Not you, too! I'm not going to hurt you guys with them. The blade is like... an inch long. Airport security doesn't even care about them."

"No, no." Laito leaned forward. "I'll give them back. I just want something first."

She didn't have anything to blackmail him with. Given he was in her homeroom, Sunny wasn't sure she would want to even if she could. Plus, he struck her as being more cunning than Ayato. "What do you want?"

"I want a kiss," he said. Sunny's cheeks burned as Laito bridged the gap between them by cupping her face. "Don't be shy, Little Bitch. You _do_ want them back, right?"

Sunny wasn't being shy; she was _livid_. Either way, Laito was probably delighted (the sick bastard). This whole situation was ridiculous! Still… she valued having two separate eyebrows and a blade, and being a little bit malleable couldn't hurt her relationships with the brothers.

"One. Singular. Kiss." She wouldn't compromise on this.

Laito smiled, leaning in. "Of course."

Sunny pressed her lips to his icy forehead. When she backed away, she knew by his expression that she had made a grave mistake. Laito's chipper expression returned after a second, but something about him seemed… off.

"Do you think highly of yourself?" he asked.

"No." The answer came out too quickly and she was a bit too eager shaking her head. Laito flopped back into his armchair, and Sunny realized what had been bothering her. His shoulders had been scrunched up. She'd seen how stray cats looked before they launched themselves at mice. Cheerful, normal Laito was back. Sunny never thought she'd be thankful for that. She stood up, ignoring the fuzzy speckles in the corners of her vision, and took a step away from him. "Can I… can I have my razors back, please?"

"No," Laito said, grinning as he reached back and took a raspberry macaron from his box. "Your kiss wasn't good enough."

"That's not fair. You have to specify what you want beforehand."

"I don't have to do anything, do I?" Laito held eye contact as he languidly ran his tongue over the surface of the cookie. "Hmmm? Would you like a do-over?"

"That'd make me a liar. I said I'd kiss you once. I'm leaving to take a shower, now."

"I have to respect your honesty," Laito snickered. "But we can still come to an agreement, right?"

"Huh?" Sunny said. Laito snatched her wrist and tugged. She fell onto his lap.

"I believe I said I wanted a kiss..." His arms snaked around her, boxing her in. "...and not that I wanted _you_ to kiss _me_."

"And I met you halfway and… uh… gave you a kiss I was comfortable with."

"Equals meet each other halfway." Laito pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. "Vampires set the terms and humans follow them. You still have to learn that, but don't worry. I'm an excellent teacher."

"I never enrolled in this class."

"Oh, no!" Laito pulled away and rolled his eyes. "A snappy remark! I can't win against _that_!"

"I don't need any sass right now, Laito," Sunny seethed, glaring at him.

"And I don't need your permission." He leaned in, stopping inches from her face. "Don't struggle, by the way. We wouldn't want you to tear your carotid again."

"Screw y-!" She tried to get one last pathetic jab in, but Laito crushed his face against hers. Sunny stiffened, eyes wide, and focused on the fabric of his hat in an attempt to ignore what his mouth was doing. Bile built up in the back of her throat. It wasn't betrayal if she didn't want the kiss and didn't react to it, right? After a few excruciating seconds, he pulled away, looking utterly delighted with himself.

" _That's_ my idea of a kiss, Little Bitch. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go get your precious razors."

* * *

Her family chart ended up being useless. She rarely saw any of the brothers together and had a hard time figuring out whether they liked each other or not. Shu and Reiji hated each other, and Subaru hated everyone, but that was all she knew. Ayato had insulted Laito on the first day, but he had given him her razors, so she couldn't know for certain how good their relationship was. Kanato was still an unknown. The list ended up shredded and flushed down the toilet.

Step Two of her plan she could handle. Quick breads were so easy for her to make now that she could probably do it blindfolded. Sunny found the kitchen - or one of the mansions kitchens, she had no way of knowing - and set to work. These guys had some really nice equipment. Sunny wondered if any of them cooked or baked. Kanato, maybe?

She took her frustration with Laito out on the poor batter, practically stabbing at it with her wooden spoon. Nobody could resist Mrs. Finnegan's orange walnut loaf. Covered in flour once again, she set the batter in the oven and went to work on a glaze. Her timer went off, and after a few minutes out of the pan, she poured the glaze over the top of her loaf. Perfect.

It was mid-morning already, but she suspected Reiji wasn't asleep yet. He looked like the studious type to her, and she figured there was a good chance he'd still be in his lab. Sure enough, the door to Reiji's mad scientist den was wide open and she could smell sulfur inside. She knew she had spurted blood all over the walls yesterday, but the room looked sterile now.

"Hey, Reiji, can I bother you for a second?" Sunny popped her head in, forcing a smile onto her face. Reiji did not do the same.

"I suppose," he said, putting down a smoking beaker. What the hell was he mixing in that? Sunny wasn't about to ask.

She held out her offering: a few slices of her loaf on a cute plate from the kitchen. "I wanted to apologize for last night. I understand why Subaru thought I was running off, and... uh… I shouldn't have called you a prick. I was rude, and I'm sorry."

Reiji couldn't have looked any more apathetic if he tried. She extended her arms even further, pushing the plate towards him. "Erm… I realize this probably doesn't make up for my bleeding all over your lab, but I made you a loaf. It's orange walnut."

He sighed. "It doesn't, but you're healthy enough and we have you on the right diet. It's an awful waste, but your body will make up for the blood loss."

"Yeah, you're right." He'd been worried about the _waste_ of all things? What a prick. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"If you must."

"Is Shu sick? He seems really tired all the time." If she wanted to get dirt on Shu, Reiji seemed like a good bet. He looked... less than thrilled by the question, though.

"I would not concern myself with him if I were you." Reiji glared into his teacup as he swirled its contents. "He isn't ill anywhere but in the head. Shu was a spoiled child, and he grew up into a worthless adult because of it. He's a good-for-nothing disgrace to this family."

"Oh." Her voice came out a little too small. Holy shit. He and Shu didn't just have beef; they straight-up _hated_ each other. Guilt and something awfully, repulsively familiar bubbled in Sunny's stomach as she remembered her conversation with Shu earlier. She couldn't exploit this rift in good conscience.

"You don't want to help out your younger brother, though?" she asked, staring at the ridges in her thumb's bitten fingernail. Even though she had her eyes adverted, she could see Reiji puff up a little with pride.

"Shu is the _eldest_ Sakamaki son," Reiji explained, obviously relishing the fact that she'd gotten that fact mixed up. The guilt in her stomach churned. She hadn't meant to insult Shu! Manipulation felt fucking terrible and she hadn't even been trying to manipulate with that question! "He has too many problems. Laziness. Apathy. And he isn't awake often enough to even consider fixing them."

Thoughts swirled in Sunny's mind. Reiji's words had hit a nerve. A familiar feeling tingled behind her eyes, hovering over her entire body like a thick veil. She couldn't protest because he wasn't wrong, even if it pained her to remain silent. "You're right. It isn't your responsibility to fix Shu. It's his. I'm sorry for implying that."

Reiji looked appeased. He nodded, humming to himself, and set his teacup down on its matching saucer. "I must say I appreciate when you choose to be pragmatic. It is one of your few strengths. Before I forget. You got a letter in the mail today from a friend of yours. Jeannette."

Sunny perked up. "Really? Where's the letter?"

"Here." Reiji held up an opened envelope. "Don't be so hasty. Brides don't get mail very often, but we do have a policy about it."

"Oh… of course…" Sunny said, her stomach dropping. "Do I get to read my letters?"

"Yes, but we monitor what goes in and out of this house. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Your friend clearly cares about you for you to have gotten a letter this early. She would have had to mail it out before you left. She might get concerned if you don't respond soon," Reiji said as he handed her the letter. "I can mail your response out tomorrow, if you'd like."

It wasn't an offer. He wanted her to give this place a goddamned glowing review. "That'd be great. Thank you."

"I'll make some tea and you can write her back."

Of course Reiji was one to be this meticulous. Sunny pulled the letter out of the already-opened envelope, savoring every word from her other life. She hadn't even been at this mansion for forty-eight hours, but her old world felt impossibly distant. Jeannette's loopy handwriting was a refuge in and of itself, circles over the i's and j's and all.

 _Hey, Sunny!_

 _Hope the exchange is going well for you. It's weird to be writing to you, but I get that International texts get really expensive. You haven't even left yet as I'm writing this and I'm already upset about it. Physics club is going to be so boring without you around! Mr. Lunden says you can join Ryoutei Academy's physics club if you want, though, because you won't be competing with us ;)_

 _Anyway, I want to hear all about Japan! How is it there? How was flying into New Chitose Airport? I looked up pictures of Hokkaido, and everything there looks very pretty. I'm jealous. I'm really glad you got to go to Japan, and I hope it's everything you wanted it to be. Be sure to keep in touch though, okay? You still have my email address. If that doesn't work out, I hope to see a letter from you soon!_

 _Miss you lots,_

 _Jeannette xoxo_

 _p.s. don't drive your hosts nuts!_

Sunny glanced nervously at Reiji as he walked back in with two pots of tea and writing utensils, clutching the letter to the point where the edges crinkled. The room was deathly quiet save the sound of the tea sets clinking as he set them down on the table next to her.

Jeannette always was good at writing. She couldn't help but read the last three lines over and over again, but she knew she had to steel herself now that Reiji was in the room. No weakness.

Reiji slid a tea set and some stationary her way. Sunny wished she could scream directly into the envelope and have that cry for help carry over to Jeannette. She picked up the pen with a shaky hand. Could she get anything past Reiji? He'd be scrutinizing her words pretty heavily the first time around, but would she even be alive to write a second letter? Wait, stop. She couldn't think like that.

An idea struck her, and Sunny began writing. She'd have to be quick about this so Reiji wouldn't get suspicious.

 _Hey, J.J.!_

 _Things are pretty great on my end! I'm living with a bunch of guys and a girl named Yui in their (get this) mansion. Envy me. The guys are brothers and the six of them mostly keep to themselves, though Subaru can be kinda loud. Yui's a sweetheart. I'm pretty busy here, and they don't have WiFi at the mansion, so I don't think emails will work._

 _You'd better hold a spot in the Physics club for me next semester! I'm taking some advanced courses at Ryoutei, so I won't get rusty, I promise! By the way, I'm disappointed Paul, Lacie and Hannah didn't also send their own letters days before I left so I could get them this early. Tell them I say hi and that they now rank below you on my Friendship Ladder. And keep Eric in line for me. I know he's only a sophomore, but that's no excuse for him rounding up the gravitational constant to 10 at finals last year (what are we, heathens?)! I'm sure he'll be fine, though._

 _Give your parents a hug for me. I'll be sure to write a lot and send you some Japanese snacks like you wanted when I go shopping, so don't worry! Write again soon, please! I miss you too._

 _Lots of Love,_

 _Sunny_

She was shaking by the time she handed him the letter. Rockport's physics club didn't have an Eric and she didn't know any Hannahs, Lacies, or Pauls, but Reiji didn't know that. Hopefully, Jeannette would be able to figure it out.

The time it took Reiji to read her letter was excruciating. Sunny sipped her tea, trying to keep her hands from trembling as she held the cup to her lips. If she let herself get too anxious, he'd realize something was wrong. She hadn't done too much, but there was still too much vulnerability in the letter for her to be comfortable with him reading it. Sunny took in slow, silent breaths through her mouth, inhaling the steam rising in tendrils from her cup.

"Is the bit about Subaru too much?" She needed to break this silence.

"I doubt it will raise any suspicions," Reiji said, pushing his glasses up. "You and Jeannette seem very close."

"Um… yes!" Damn. She should have gone with "sincerely" after all. "We're best friends. She's... um... like the sister I never had."

Reiji leaned back in his chair. "Hm. Just remember that if we find anything amiss in your correspondence… I have her home address. We take humans' suspicions very seriously in this house. Do you still want me to mail out this letter?"

"Yes." She couldn't afford to hesitate, and her cowardice kept her from confessing.

"I will put it in the pile for today's post." Reiji tucked the letter into his pocket. "You should catch up on the classes that you missed today."

Sunny nodded and walked out of the laboratory on autopilot, her head reeling from more than just the dizziness that accompanied standing up after her significant blood loss episode.

Oh, god, had she just given Jeannette a death sentence? Jeannette would catch on to her message. That girl was nothing if not thorough, damn it. If J.J. got Maira Jhajj got involved, everything would go up in fucking flames. Granted, Jeannette wasn't the type to go ham over one word in a letter. She'd do her own research first. Damn it. _Damn_ it!

Did she really want to drag J.J. into this mess? Nobody else back at home would be writing to her except maybe - and that was a big maybe - Bailey, and if she couldn't escape by herself, Jeannette might be her only hope. Besides, if she went back into the lab and told Reiji about the message in her letter, he might decide to cut off her mail privileges. Or whip her. Or both.

Sunny's stomach churned and her heart pounded in her ears. Oh, god. She was really about to drag J.J. into this mess. She was a heartless monster.

Sunny walked into her room and tried to rifle through one of her textbooks before giving up and collapsing in bed. She couldn't study now. Fuck it. There was no way she could concentrate on the words in front of her. For now, the best thing to do was sleep off the goddamned anemia. Then she'd wake up, sweat her problems away with a short evening run, and try to pretend everything was okay in school. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. In eight hours, she'd have been in this mansion for two days. Unbelievable.

She looked at Duke. His once-white fur, now greying from abuse, thankfully escaped last night's blood disaster unscathed. He had been a gift from Jeannette, who had won him for her at Fall Carnivale back when they were in Year 12. She'd tried so damned hard to win Duke herself but couldn't hit the bullseye with her darts, and then J.J. just had to go and win on her first try. Sunny gave her the silly little lizard plushie she had won trying for Duke in recompense, which J.J. named Duchess. Sunny pulled Duke to her chest and buried her face in his curly fur. J.J. wouldn't be rash about this. She'd be okay. J.J. would be okay.

Sunny fell back into her pillows. Her hair was still damp from the shower she took after Laito's visit (the long shower in which she scrubbed the skin around her mouth raw) so her hair was going to be an absolute disaster when she got up to run, but she didn't care. Sunny watched light gently filter in her window through gaps in her curtains and listened to the clock on her bedside table, praying - for once in her life - that her actions hadn't just gotten Jeannette Jhajj killed.

* * *

 **I'm hoping to post a chapter every few days until I'm caught up. Again, thanks for reading! I hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see you soon with Chapter 4!**


	4. The Web

"Shu." Sunny poked the sleeping blond's shoulder. " _Shu_. Wake up."

He tilted his head and looked at her like she'd just dumped a bucket of ice over his head. "What do you want?"

"It's six thirty. I'm going on a run now so I can shower before class. Do you wanna come with?"

"No. Go away."

"Are you sure? Running makes you feel really good about yourself afterwards. You'd probably be walking, given how fast you all are, though..."

"Get out of here before I snap your neck for bothering me."

"I uh… I talked to Reiji last night," she said, wringing out her hands as she backed up out of his immediate reach. "About you."

Shu's expression could have bored a hole between her eyes. "And?"

"Are you okay with what he says about you?"

"It's true, isn't it?"

"Even if it's true, you don't have to _like_ the truth…" Sunny said. The knuckles on her hand were white from clutching her arm.

"Did you come here to make fun of me?" Shu growled, sitting up.

Sunny skittered back a few more steps. "No! I came here to ask you if you wanted to run with me. Seriously."

Shu stood up. Even ten feet away, he could glower down at her. "Do you pity me?"

His voice was a tense whisper. Sunny could barely breathe. "I… no! I d-don't. It's just… just…"

"Do you think that I'll treat you better if you smother me with fake sympathy?" he asked, stalking towards her. Sunny backed up until her back hit his wall and began inching along it towards the stairway out of his room.

"It's… not… it isn't fake." He was practically on top of her. Sunny could see the corner he was backing her into, but didn't want to dart past him to avoid trapping herself. "Please… hear m-me out."

"I don't feel like waiting until you figure out how to breathe properly again."

"Do you... _know_ that you're worthless?" Sunny asked. "Or… or do you just _feel_ like you are?"

Shu stopped an arm's length away from her. Sunny pulled the collar of her running shirt over her nose and sucked in a gasp through the fabric, relieved. "There's a difference."

He frowned down at her, too close for comfort but far enough away that she could take a few seconds to force air into her lungs. "I… I can't say I know exactly h-how you feel… but… I know what it feels like… to… um… hate yourself."

Her cheeks tingled. Exposing her thoughts felt both disgusting and liberating even though a part of Sunny knew she'd regret telling one of them this later. "I run… because… sorry, I don't know how to phrase this… because it gives me something to do. And when I'm doing things, I feel… like… um… like… like I'm _worth_ something."

She also ran because if she didn't do it for a few days, she felt like absolute garbage inside and out, but Sunny could stand to omit that fact. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. You could just warm up with me if you want, but I won't make you do that, either. I'm sorry for bothering you. Please… don't kill me."

For an excruciating amount of time, Shu said nothing in response. Sunny trembled against the corner he had backed her into, not even daring to blink. When he reached out, she flinched and pulled her running shirt over her eyes as a flimsy last line of defense between him and her throat. His hand landed on her shoulder instead, gripping it with crushing force.

"Get out of my room before I rip your lungs out of your chest."

He didn't have to tell her twice.

* * *

"I told you it wasn't going to work," Subaru grumbled when she returned from her run, drenched in sweat. "I don't get why you wanted to confront that guy in the first place."

"I don't want you guys to hate me," Sunny replied, shooting him a glare. "If I'm going to survive here, my chances are better if some of you aren't actively looking to torment me."

"Yeah, well, I saw him in the library while you were out, and he didn't look very happy. Your plan's going really smoothly."

"I'm doing my best!" Sunny tried to keep her voice below Reiji's volume tolerance limit (probably a futile gesture on her part, as his ideal volume for her seemed to be silence). "Why do you care about this? I don't really want to be your friend after you severed my carotid. Do you know what a carotid is? Because _I_ didn't, and it turns out-"

"Are you seriously trying to pin that on _me_? We know what arteries are in your neck. We're _vampires_. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you hadn't tried to throw me off!" Subaru seethed. "And I care because I like having two food sources in this house for once. Even if one of them is you."

"You can always just have one of your two hundred housekeepers make you lasagna or something, can't you? Judging by how quickly you said you guys _mow through girls_ , you can survive a while without blood, right?"

"It's more difficult."

"Difficult enough that you need this whole sacrificial bride program?" Sunny asked.

It was a challenge, and more of one than she could do with confidence that she'd keep her head on her shoulders.

Subaru glared at her. "We need blood to survive. Having you here means we don't have to hunt. It's more humane."

"I'm... not convinced of that."

"You're pissing me off. Your blood's alright, but it isn't that good. Keep this up and I will kill you." Subaru threatened.

Understanding that she'd pushed at his boundaries far enough, Sunny nodded, retreated into her room, and locked the door behind her.

* * *

It was Monday night. She had been in the Sakamaki mansion for five days, and despite her attempts she had made no progress with any of the brothers. If she had wanted to, Sunny probably could have visited Laito's room again, but he freaked her out too much and after what had happened Friday morning she never wanted to look at his face again. Good thing she sat behind him in math class.

She wasn't even in good standing with _Kanato_ , for crying out loud! On Saturday, she'd made a batch of her (locally) famous ginger cookies specially for him, and he'd spat them into the sink and threatened to tear her face off before shoving six of them in her mouth at once (her jaw still hurt from that). Sunny couldn't have possibly known he'd hate the cayenne! She'd pretty much locked herself in her room the rest of the weekend after that traumatic experience.

The hot water coming from the faucet felt heavenly after her run. Now that she was almost as much a creature of the night as her captors were, she didn't get to experience the lovely warmth of sunlight on her face and her September was much cooler than she had anticipated. This was a good substitute, even if she had to cut her baths short out of fear of one of the brothers barging in. Privacy wasn't the same here, as the brothers didn't think of her as someone deserving of that high a form of respect. She adjusted and moved on. There was no way in hell she'd let one of these assholes see her undressed.

Sunny got out of the bath as quickly as she could, swatted at her wet hair with a brush, toweled off, and got ready for class earlier than usual so she could eat breakfast before class and procrastinate for a bit before getting in the limo. The trick was to show up three minutes before they were scheduled and no sooner so Reiji wouldn't get mad and she wouldn't have to potentially spend time alone with one of the brothers in the confines of their car.

On her way to the kitchen, she decided to stop by Yui's bedroom. Yui looked terrified when she opened the door at her knock - Sunny couldn't blame her for that - so she gave the poor girl her best smile.

"Hey, I'm going to get breakfast before we leave. Do you want me to grab you anything?" Sunny asked.

Yui smiled back at her. "Can I go with, actually? I don't like eating in the limo or in class."

"Sure!" Sunny tried not to show too much excitement despite being absolutely elated by the opportunity to finally talk to her other human housemate.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Yui said after she grabbed her bag. Her bangs hung over her eyes. "You don't deserve this."

"Well, I mean…" Sunny stammered, rubbing her temples. "I _did_ sign up for this exchange. Just… not the whole 'vampires' part of it."

"Huh? You thought this was a student exchange program?" Yui looked stunned.

"Um… yeah, I did. It was so cheap. _So_ cheap. I should've known better."

"That explains…" Yui trailed off for a second, lost in thought, before looking at her with the most focused expression she'd seen from the girl yet. "You still don't deserve to be here because of that. Nobody does."

"Thanks…" It was all she could say in response. "So… why are you here, then?"

"My father went away on a trip to eastern Europe and decided to leave me in their care."

"What? Did he know about all of this?"

"I don't know." Yui ducked her head again, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers. "I want to say that he didn't, but… I don't know."

Sunny racked her brain for a response to that but couldn't think of anything more eloquent than "that sucks" (which was a bit _too_ appropriate). She changed the subject.

"Hey, I'm sorry I haven't talked to you sooner. You've been here six months, right? Do you have any survival tips? I'm trying to be nice to these guys, but it's like swimming upstream through pudding."

"They come around slowly… I think." Yui squinted down the hallway, frowning. "All you can really do is try not to make them mad."

"It sounds so simple…" Sunny murmured.

Yui laughed gently, her voice a soft chime. "I know. I know."

They made themselves toast in the kitchen and ate in silence before heading out to the car. Yui stopped just outside the entryway, staring at the door like it was about to fall in and crush them.

She looked fragile, like a glass vase tottering on the edge of a cupboard. Sunny paused, wondering if she'd done something wrong.

"I was really happy when you were the one outside my door," Yui whispered. "I've been having such strange dreams recently and then the triplets all pounced on me this morning and only stopped because Reiji yelled at us. I'm just… I'm sorry, but I can't help but be glad I have someone else to talk to that's going through the same thing as me. I'm so sorry. That sounds awful, and I don't want you to be here, but… you are, and I'm less alone thanks to you. I understand if you hate me because of it."

She was crying. Big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks as sobs racked her small frame.

Sunny's throat tightened. "I don't hate you, Yui."

"Thank you," she managed to squeak out between sobs. Sunny reached out and ruffled her hair awkwardly - confused by Yui's mention of "the triplets" because none of the brothers looked anything alike - and Yui crushed her into a bear hug that Sunny couldn't help but feel she hadn't done anything to earn. Yui sniffled a few more times and wiped her eyes.

"Alright, Yui, let's… um… knock 'em dead in class today," Sunny said, pumping her fist to end her attempt at a motivational speech.

"My nose is running," Yui complained.

"Blow it with the curtains," Sunny suggested.

"What? They're dusty, and Reiji will-"

"Do it on the side that faces the wall. I'll keep watch. Plus, if you go out sneezing they'll think your face is puffy because of allergies. Pro tip."

Yui blew her nose, and Sunny helped the poor girl walk to the car through her sneezes. Reiji looked displeased by their arrival time, but when _didn't_ he look displeased?

"I'm sorry… fall allergies…" Yui muttered to him as she got into the limousine, covering her face with her arm. "Can I have a tissue, please?"

They took their places in the limo and everyone sat in the usual silence as Yui sneezed for another full thirty seconds. Maybe Sunny shouldn't have suggested she use the curtains. Yui blew her nose one final time and handed one final tissue to an absolutely appalled Reiji, and then the car ride was silent for a moment.

"By the way," Reiji said after disposing of both the tissues and his gloves. "It was a bit early for you to be behaving so disrespectfully today, human. Even for you."

Yui clenched her hands together, trembling. Was Reiji seriously trying to pin this morning's attack on _her_? Sunny's blood boiled, but Laito chimed in before she could explode at him.

"Ahh, I wonder what's going through your mind right now, Little Bitch. Just _thinking_ about this morning gets me-"

"Shut up, you degenerate," Subaru snarled.

"You're all ruining my music." Shu complained, brows furrowing.

The limousine erupted into chaos. The brothers all started talking at once, hurling insults at each other as Reiji fought to keep control. Subaru looked about ready to smash Laito's face in, and Kanato, Ayato, and Reiji all turned on Yui and accused her of being responsible for everything at once. Sunny couldn't fucking believe it. The Sakamakis were the most volatile family she'd ever met. She preoccupied herself by picking at a ball of lint on her leggings, not daring to look up and witness the chaos.

Above everything, tires screeched. The limo swerved, throwing Sunny into Kanato and the both of them into Subaru. Kanato and Subaru kept yelling at each other, and Yui screamed half a second later.

Sunny couldn't see or breathe. Her face was buried in the velvet seats, and with her torso on Subaru's lap and a screeching Kanato on top of her she planned to keep it that way and hope they wouldn't notice her. She felt when the Sakamaki's limousine hit something and flipped into the air, though. She squeezed her eyes shut, too stunned to scream. A pair of arms wrapped around her, air rushed by, and then she heard the crash and explosion.

When Sunny opened her eyes, she saw the brothers attending to Yui and a flaming limousine behind them.

"Is she breathing?" Subaru asked.

"Yeah, she's just out. Shock, probably. Hey, wake up, pancake!" Ayato shook Yui's unconscious form. Sunny groaned, brushing dirt off of her torn leggings before staggering over to them. The Sakamakis clearly had a favorite sacrificial bride. Yui came to, groaning, as she approached the group. Thank goodness.

"Did we hit something?" Sunny asked.

"No. Something hit us," Ayato corrected her, helping Yui sit up. The girl glanced around, her eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Was someone else here just now?" Yui asked. "Someone was speaking to me."

"She must have hit her head," Laito said, frowning. "Way to get her out of danger, Ayato."

"Shut up! I didn't see _you_ grabbing anything on the way out!"

"Humans couldn't have done this," Reiji cut in.

"Our family does have a lot of enemies in the demon world," Subaru agreed.

"You have a lot of _what_ in the _where_?" Sunny's question went unanswered as the brothers murmured amongst themselves. She heard the words "turned" and "familiars" thrown around a lot, but didn't understand what they meant and she didn't expect answers anytime soon.

"Alright, we should get to school," Reiji stated, finally ending the conversation.

"But… we were just attacked…" Yui whimpered. Sunny couldn't help but agree. The brothers were planning to carry on as if nothing had even happened?

"Yes, but we can and will get to class on time. I dislike truancy. If you wish to stay behind alone, feel free."

Reiji's statement left no room for argument, as his statements tended to do. Sunny scrunched her nose up and clutched the hem of her skirt. Were limo attacks going to be her new normal? She sure as hell hoped not. Grudgingly, she trudged after Yui and the others as the group headed towards Ryoutei.

* * *

Math class passed normally, as did Japanese and social studies and English. If it weren't for the holes and scuff marks on the knees of her leggings, Sunny would have believed the accident hadn't happened. That the limo hadn't flipped over and careened twenty yards into a tree and exploded. Her entire situation had been unbelievable to begin with, and now she had to deal with the possibility of her captors having hostile enemies. She had just wanted to study abroad, for fuck's sake!

When it was time for lunch, she decided that she couldn't handle small talk with Laito today. After this morning, she just needed to decompress. Sunny took her usual salad and bread to the girl's restroom and ate on the toilet, fighting back tears. _Ridiculous_. She poked at the almonds with her fork. Absolutely ridiculous.

Sunny flushed most of her salad down the toilet, then went to the mirror to look at herself. She hadn't gotten soft - thank goodness they allowed her to go on runs - but her skin already looked sallower, and Sunny could see bags forming underneath her eyes. She hadn't bothered to go to the restroom earlier that morning, and her hair was a disaster. After she pulled a few leaves and a twig out and fixed the bobby pins, Sunny splashed her face with water and walked out, ready to head back to class.

She made it halfway back.

"Excuse me…" a voice sounded from behind her and a hand tapped her shoulder. Sunny nearly jumped out of her skin and spun around. A terribly skinny boy with sad grey eyes stared at her. "I was… supposed to meet… my brother, Ruki… on the roof. But… I'm lost… where is the roof?"

He spoke painfully slowly, but so quietly that she was grateful to have the extra time to process what he said. She could see bandages under one of his sleeves. He looked so… _small_. His situation clearly upset him, as he was fidgeting with his jacket and shifting from foot to foot.

"Ah, sure. But… I'm kind of new myself, so uh… I'm not your best option."

His face lit up despite her uncertainty. "That's okay. We'll… find it together…"

They started off together and headed up a set of stairs. He seemed… _odd_ , but friendly, so Sunny tried her best at conversation. "Are you new here, as well?"

"Yes… my brothers and I… just transferred."

"Oh! Are you in Grade 11?"

"Yes… Class C."

"Huh. Well, we'll still see each other around school, right? My name's Sunny, by the way."

"It's… nice… to meet you. My name… is Azusa. Mukami Azusa."

Sunny couldn't help but be disappointed by the fact that they wouldn't be in the same homeroom. She hadn't really talked with anyone else in her class yet. She'd still see him around school, though. That was a start. They turned at the top of the staircase and found the staircase to the roof (clearly labeled). That was strange. How had he gotten lost?

"Would you… like to meet my brothers?" Azusa asked. "I think… they'd like to meet you."

"Sure!" Since she'd barely eaten anything in the bathroom, she had time to kill, even if she didn't like heights very much. "I want to get some fresh air anyway."

"I'm glad…" Azusa murmured as they headed up the stairs. "I think… you'll really like them. They're good brothers."

"I'm sure I will," Sunny said, smiling at him. Azusa opened the door and they both stepped onto the roof of the school. Mercifully, the edges of the roof were lined with secure, tall iron railings. She could do this.

"Hey, Azusa! Did you make a friend?" a blond boy on the far side of the roof turned to face them as they entered. The boy next to him glanced up from his book but didn't seem too interested. They didn't look anything alike. Were they really brothers?

"Kou… this is…"

"One of the potential Eves, right?" Kou asked. What?

"Um… hello. I'm Sunny." Should she really be here right now?

"Nice to meet you formally. We're in the same class, so I hope we get along." the blond's smile was almost magnetic. His face was too perfect. Sunny must've been _really_ out of it in class today to not notice a new guy like him. "This guy here is Ruki, by the way. He isn't very chatty, but don't worry about him."

Ruki closed his book and gave her a once-over. "Neither of them look very impressive."

"Yeah, well, can't judge a book by its cover, right?" Kou teased, poking his brother. There was no way these guys were blood-related. Sunny's stomach churned. She'd been dealing with conventionally handsome brothers that looked nothing alike for five days now, and even though Azusa's brothers hadn't done anything out of the ordinary yet she was still suspicious.

"You're hilarious." Ruki's voice was void of humor. There was no warmth in his voice or in his eyes or in any part of him as he stared at her. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not good with introductions." She couldn't keep the stammer out of her voice. "Well, uh… it's been nice meeting you three, but I should really get back before I miss part of science class. Can't have that, right?"

She laughed nervously, then turned around and nearly walked right into another boy with brown hair. His height alone would have made him intimidating, let alone the scowl on his face.

"Ah… this is… Yuma." Azusa introduced him to her. Nice of him to wait until now to do that.

"Hi, Yuma," Sunny said, forcing her face into a smile. Yuma grabbed her hand, and the instant Sunny felt his cold, impossibly strong grip engulf her wrist, she _knew_.

"You attacked us this morning." Her accusation came out as a whisper, but Yuma's grin made it clear he'd understood. "It was you guys."

"She's not _completely_ clueless, at least," Kou laughed as he walked over.

"You should be happier in the presence of your new masters," Ruki said.

Sunny's indignation snapped her out of her shock. She tried to wrench her hand out of Yuma's grip. "You aren't my masters. Neither are the Sakamakis. Fuck off."

"Oh look, the stray cat bites!"

"I… like her. I think… she might be like… me…"

"You claim they aren't your masters, but…" Ruki began, putting a hand on her shoulder as she tried to pry her hand from Yuma. "Don't they control where you go? What you eat? Don't they feed from you?"

Her face must have been crimson, because the edges of his lips twitched (it was the most emotion she'd seen from him yet). "You know I'm right. But don't worry. You're in the hands of better masters now."

Sunny kicked Yuma in the shins, and he released her as she twisted out of Ruki's grasp and stumbled back a few steps. "I _am_ worried, though. I don't know that you guys are any nicer than the Sakamakis. You _attacked_ us earlier today."

"Unlike the Sakamakis," Ruki explained. "We do not see you as disposable."

"And that's why you almost killed me and Yui?"

"There were six vampires in the car with you. We just wanted to ruffle your captors' feathers."

"I'll make you assholes a deal," Sunny hissed, backing up. "You let me go to class and I won't call for the others."

"If you scream, I'll break your neck." Yuma spoke for the first time. There was no doubt in her mind that he could and would before the Sakamakis arrived. _Shit_.

It was time for Plan B. Sunny bolted for the stairs, but Yuma was on top of her in an instant, slamming her into the wall just next to the door and clamping a hand over her mouth. She cried out as he all but crushed her head against the brick, but he had her smothered.

"Stop struggling." Yuma shoved even harder. Black spots appeared in her vision.

"Looks like your new friend is coming to live with us, Azusa!" Kou exclaimed.

"I'm… happy…"

"Don't get your hopes up. We still have to figure out if this livestock is Eve or not."

"Hey." Sunny heard the door to the roof open and a familiar voice. "I thought I saw something odd when you walked past, earsore."

Yuma swore and backed off, letting her drop to the ground. Sunny rubbed her temples and blinked the spots out of her eyes. She'd never been so grateful to see Shu before.

"That's our food you were manhandling." Okay, maybe she wasn't _that_ grateful.

"You're… the head of the Sakamaki household, correct?" Ruki asked.

"Yup, that's me." Shu grabbed the collar of Sunny's uniform and threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing to him. "Sorry, but I don't really care about who you guys are. I just want you to keep your hands to yourselves so I don't have to run around saving this idiot."

"You've never ran anywhere in your life!" Sunny protested.

"I will leave you here with these guys if _one more word_ comes out of your mouth."

Sunny glared at the loose threads in his uniform.

"I'll see you guys around, then, I guess," Shu said as he let the door to the room slam behind them. Sunny waited until they were far, _far_ away from the roof before she spoke.

"Thanks, Shu. You really saved me there."

"Don't thank me just yet. You aren't going on any more runs out by the lake."

"What? I need those!"

"I'm not going to let you out while those guys are prowling around. Run laps around our pool or the game room something. Just do it inside."

"It's not the same!"

"You should be grateful we let you go outside in the first place."

"Is this because of this morning? I'm sorry, okay?"

Shu set her down in the music room, but his hands still gripped her arms. "It isn't about that. It's them."

"Shu, please. I can't go without my runs."

"I'd allow it if someone went with you," Shu said. "But… you humans move _so_ slowly. Good luck getting one of my brothers to babysit you."

"The offer from this morning still stands."

Shu smirked at her, and Sunny realized she'd played right into his hands. He tilted his head to the side, as if he were deep in thought and hadn't been laying the trap for her since the topic had come up. "I'd be willing to do it… for a price."

"You want my blood."

He reached out and brushed her hair aside. "Yes, and I want you to stay still. Movement makes feeding bothersome."

She gritted her teeth together. "Why does everything have to be a bargain with you guys? I'm just asking you to let me outside your goddamned house once a day."

"You're approaching this the wrong way." Shu led her into one of the practice rooms and let go of her wrist as he slid down the wall. "I could just drink your blood without giving you any choice whatsoever. I'm being nice."

" _So_ nice…" Sunny muttered, steeling herself. "Fine. It's a deal."

"Then unbutton your shirt and get down here."

With trembling hands, Sunny unclasped the first few buttons of her blouse. Shu smiled as she sat down next to him against the wall. She looked at legs of the music stand so she wouldn't see him. When he grabbed her left wrist, however, she startled and stared at him with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Your neck isn't the only place your blood flows through. You're right-handed, right?" Sunny desperately tried to keep him from rolling her sleeve up, but couldn't stop him. She knew when he'd seen. "So _that's_ why you were so concerned about who undressed you. You really are a pathetic person, aren't you?"

"I… I… n-no…" she whispered, watching numbly as he bunched the fabric of her sleeve up to her elbow. "Why did you have me unbutton my shirt?"

As he dragged her forearm toward him, Shu hummed. He pressed his lips to the disgusting, soft side of it. Sunny shivered, horrified and uncomfortable.

"We aren't the same," he said, gazing at her through half lidded eyes as he ran his teeth along the parts she hated the most. "I don't want sympathy from a person like you."

"I… I-I get it."

"As to your question about why I asked you to unbutton your shirt…" Shu leaned into her and she was underneath him on the floor in an instant. "I do prefer to feed the traditional way."

He kept one hand on her wrist as he nosed his way to her throat, pushing her collar aside with the other. His thumb continued tracing where his mouth had stopped. Sunny wanted to vomit.

"If you behave, I won't tell the others."

Sunny nodded, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth and fists as the tears spilled over.

Shu laughed, quietly, one last time before sinking his fangs into her neck.

* * *

Sunny woke up hours later in her bed. She could tell by the light filtering in through her window that it was daytime, though the softness of it told her it was cloudy outside. She'd never liked cloudy days.

Her entire body was sore and she could still feel his hand on her arm.

Once again, she was in another awful frilly nightgown. This one, however, had long sleeves. Shu was a horrible person, but at least he had stayed good to his word.

The shame she felt was too much. Sunny had opened herself up to one of the brothers a tiny bit and he had turned around and smacked her in the face with it. None of the brothers liked her, and that probably was never going to change. Why should they? She was obnoxious and brash and a miserable presence to be around. Why was she even trying?

This was never going to go anywhere. She was worthless to them save possibly her value as an easy dinner.

Sunny eyed her toiletries bag. She knew what was inside. She had earned it by being so stupid, hadn't she?

No. She couldn't be alone in this room. Sunny knew she had to get out. She grabbed Duke, dragged herself out of bed on unsteady legs, and staggered to the door. She'd crawl down the hallway if she needed to.

When she finally reached Yui's room, leaning on the wall for support, she was relieved to see a light on under her door. At least she wouldn't be any more of a burden by waking her up. Sunny rapped her knuckles against Yui's door and waited.

"I'm glad you're awake," Yui said as she opened the door, clad in a nightgown herself. What was with these brothers and old-fashioned nightgowns?

"How did you know it was me?"

"You knock." Yui gave her a small smile. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not. Sorry, but can I… stay in here tonight? I don't want to be alone. I can't be alone tonight."

"Don't be sorry. I understand. Do you want me to get you some hot chocolate from the kitchen?"

"No. Please don't leave. I don't want to be alone." Sunny collapsed on Yui's bed and stared at the ceiling. Yui sat back down at her desk and closed her textbook. Had she been doing homework? Great, _another_ thing she had ruined.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yui asked.

"I hate this place. How have you managed to stay here for six months?"

"It's a lot to deal with, but… I have faith I'll get out of here eventually." Yui pressed her cross necklace to her chin as she said that. Sunny wished _she_ could believe an all-powerful God would take her back someday.

"But… you're such a kind person. You're so patient with them and I don't think I can do that."

"I believe in you."

"I want to scream at Shu right now."

"Oh, he was the one that bit you?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. I thought he was one of the nicer ones!"

"Unfortunately... he is." Yui packed up her notebook and pens. "He won't bother you if you leave him alone. Don't feel bad. I made that mistake when I first came here myself."

"We're running buddies now," Sunny murmured, cursing herself for having been so stupid and giving him reason to approach her again.

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"Alright..." Yui turned off the light and shuffled through the darkness to the other side of the bed. "Did you want to sleep here tonight? I don't mind."

"I really would."

"Thanks. It's less scary with another person here," Yui admitted, getting into bed next to her. She shifted after a few seconds of silence, turning to look at Sunny with an oddly intense expression on her face. "By the way, do you know a Seiji Komori?"

"No, sorry. Why do you ask?"

"He's my dad. I thought he'd pick me up from here someday, but..."

"We can find a way out."

Yui jerked upright. "Don't talk like that! What if someone hears?"

"Sorry," Sunny whispered. "Yui, we can't just sit here and wait to be rescued."

"I know, but I've tried running away."

"We can come up with something together, can't we?"

"I..."

"Please, Yui. You've been here longer than I have. I need your help."

Yui stared down at her, biting her lip. Sunny understood. She couldn't even imagine being stuck here for as long as Yui had, and the brothers had probably done a number on her morale. Yui knew more about the brothers than she did, though, and Sunny needed more information before she started putting any plan into action.

A few minutes passed.

"I want to help you, but... can we talk another time? Outside of the mansion?"

That wasn't an absolute 'no' from her. Sunny would accept that. She didn't have much choice. Yui was clearly done with this conversation.

"Alright. G'night, Yui. Give it some thought."

"I will," Yui said as she lay back down, facing away from her.

Sunny stared up at the ceiling.

Was she going to end up like Yui someday? Tired, battered, and broken?

Yui had tried to run from them before. Maybe more than once. How long had it taken the brothers to destroy her optimism and leave her so adverse to the idea of running that she brushed off offers of help?

She couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved by Yui's presence, though. She had a tentative ally in the Sakamaki mansion, and Yui's knowledge of the Sakamaki brothers could keep her from grappling alone in the dark even if she was averse to the idea of escape. She could do this.

Sunny held Duke to her chest and closed her eyes, the glimmer of hope putting a tentative smile on her lips.

* * *

 **I suppose I forgot to mention in previous chapters that this story began between seasons of the anime, but this chapter firmly grounds this story's timeline within the canon. Granted, I changed a few things and stole a bit from More Blood's prologue because I love the scene where Shu saves Yui from the Mukamis (I like to imagine he was only successful because they didn't know him that well yet ahaha).**

 **Characterization matters a lot to me, so I'd love to hear how I'm doing with Yui and the guys! Which character(s) do you like seeing Sunny interact with the most? Do you have any predictions for future chapters? I always love getting feedback; it really keeps me going.**

 **Thanks for reading! Hopefully, Chapter 5 will be up soon! Lots of love!**


	5. Division

"Hey. You." A rough hand clamped down on Sunny's shoulder, wrenching her from a strange dream about being lost in a grocery store, and tugged. "Fat bitch. Wake up."

"Huhhnhh?" Sunny rolled over and cracked open one eye. Ayato. _Great_. "What d'you want?"

"Where's Titless?"

"... _who_?"

"You know, the other girl. The one who has a smaller chest than you because she isn't _fat_." Had she not been so fresh out of dreamland, Sunny might have smacked him. Ayato groaned, exasperated when she didn't immediately understand. " _Yui_."

"Yui's here, isn't she?" Sunny sat up in bed and wiped the drool lines away. She shifted and looked to her left. The covers on Yui's side of the bed were upturned, and the girl's shoes were gone. She wasn't here? "Um… I don't know. Have you checked the kitchen?"

"When did you see her last?" Ayato glared from his edge of the bed, agitated.

"I came in here… this morning. At seven o'clock. Is she not here?"

"I can't smell her anywhere. She isn't in the mansion."

Sunny's heart dropped.

* * *

The limo ride, as per usual, was deathly silent. Today, however, its atmosphere wrapped around Sunny like a soggy blanket.

She had no idea what was going on, of course, as none of the brothers ever informed her of anything, but Sunny worried they would blame her for Yui's disappearance. Ayato had looked just about ready to wring her neck earlier when she told him she had no idea where Yui was, and the other brothers would certainly be suspicious given she was the last one that saw Yui before she vanished.

Sunny remembered how resigned Yui had looked before she fell asleep. Sunny wanted to believe there was no way Yui would run off, much less run off without her. The Sakamakis had broken her in too much for her to try and escape alone. Yui had taken her shoes with her, though. Had everything from the night before been an act? Had she actually tried to escape?

No. Why, after six months, would Yui run off last night and leave her behind? Yui, who had cried to her about her guilt, wouldn't abandon her. Sunny gripped her arm and let her fingernails dig into her sleeve. She couldn't let her fucking delusions get the better of her now. She had to think.

Ruki, Kou, Yuma, and Azusa had attacked them this time yesterday and expressed interest in her. Were they also interested in Yui? If Sunny squeezed her eyes shut, she could still hear the crash and explosion. She could feel the way her body twisted in the air after Azusa and his siblings sent the limousine flying. Had they kidnapped Yui? If so, were they really the "better" people? Was Yui in danger?

Sunny stared at where just yesterday, Yui and Ayato sat. Now, one was gone and the other was prowling the mansion's grounds like a desperate bloodhound.

When the limo pulled up to Ryoutei Academy, Sunny let the brothers get out of the limo first. She didn't want to have her back exposed to any of them today. Her heart pounded in her ears, reminding her that she hadn't had a chance to run today. Even though she knew one day wouldn't upset her schedule, Sunny found herself digging her fingers into her arms through her sleeves.

Yui was gone and she was alone.

She and Laito walked to class. Her sphere of awareness became a sliver. People talked around them, but Sunny wasn't paying any attention. Classes came and went. Sunny ate her lunch but didn't taste it. The world passed her by. She went home without having written a word.

Yui was gone and she was stuck _here_.

The limousine took them back to the mansion. Sunny headed straight for her room and set her bag on the bed.

She opened her history textbook and stared at the first page of the assigned reading for ten minutes, seeing nothing. _Fuck_. This wasn't going anywhere. She couldn't focus on the words, even when she tried reading them aloud. Nothing connected.

After this long, she knew what this meant. The tiredness. The fuzz. Normally, she'd nap it off... but her naps could end up lasting for hours. What if this became a habit? What if this became her normal? She couldn't let herself get soft again.

Her eyelids drooped.

Fuck it. She was never going to get anything done if she spent an hour on each page. Fury bubbled in Sunny's throat. _Weak_. Crawling into bed felt like surrender, but she compromised. She'd take a one-hour nap on top of the covers. That was it. One hour wouldn't destroy her routine.

She set an alarm on her clock and flopped back onto her mountain of pillows.

* * *

Sunny woke before the alarm when she felt her bed shift. She jolted awake, blinking to dispel the weight behind her eyes, and sat up. Laito, the last vampire she wanted in her bed, lay next to her, an amused expression on his face.

"Tired, Little Bitch?"

"What are you doing here?" Sunny wrapped the covers around herself, hoping the extra layer would deter him.

Laito let his head loll onto his shoulder with catlike grace. "You looked upset in class. I wanted to cheer you up."

"I'm fine, but thanks."

"Really? Even though your friend is gone? Aren't you _worried_ about her?"

"No, it's just-" she stammered. "Just… _argh_. I'm worried, I just don't want to be cheered up."

"Oh? Then what _do_ you want?"

"I, uh… I'd like to be… left alone."

Laito leaned in. "Are you sure about that?"

Something in his expression told her that he wouldn't like it if she told him the truth. The coward in her gave in. "I… erm… talking might be nice. How… how are you doing, Laito?"

"If I'm being perfectly honest, I do miss the other Little Bitch. It was so nice having two girls to play with," he said, biting his lip. "That said… I'm happy you're still here."

"...th-thanks?"

"And what about you?"

"It… it was nice having a friend…"

"Are you _lonely_ , Little Bitch?" When she didn't respond, he inched closer. Sunny froze, helpless to watch his approach. "I love when you're nervous. Your expressions are just too much. Are you remembering our chat from a few days ago?"

If he meant the part where he forced himself upon her, then yes. "Laito? Can you… stay on the other side of the bed, please?"

"You're being so polite about this," he said, reaching out to her. Sunny ducked her head under the covers and pulled the fabric around her, cocooning in a feeble attempt at shielding herself from him, which drew a laugh. "Mmmm… adorable as you are right now, that blanket won't keep you from me."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. You're making me uncomfortable."

"That's the point. I love watching girls squirm. Besides, what's the point of having you here if I can't have a little fun with you?"

"You and I have different definitions of fun, Laito! Can't we play cards or something instead? Please?" He was straddling her. Sunny's heart pounded in her ears. Holy _shit_.

"You're terrified, aren't you?" His body was flush up against hers as his voice whispered in her ear through the covers. "Poor thing." She felt his hand brush against the covers, searching for a crack in her cloth armor. "Don't worry, _ma petite colombe_ , I'll be soft with you today."

Fuck if _she_ cared he was going to go soft on her. Sunny was hyperventilating, but Laito seemed oblivious to that as he pried himself a gap in the covers. She couldn't hold air long enough in her lungs to tell him to stop. He brushed hair away from her face, deaf to her gasps. "My, you're flustered. Am I exciting you that much?"

"N… no…" There were bugs crawling under her skin. Sunny wanted to cleave her flesh off.

Laito giggled and kissed her on her cheek. "There's too much fabric between us, isn't there? I think it's time we-"

"You're disgusting, Laito."

"Oh?" Laito stopped an inch from her face. His green eyes practically glowed. "Were you hoping to join us?" he asked, turning around to face whoever had (mercifully) interrupted. "We could make room for a third."

"No! I wasn't!" the intruder stammered. "Just… _ugh_! Get off of her."

"Killjoy," Laito muttered. Sunny trembled as he faced her again. He took her in with half-lidded eyes one final time before pecking her on the lips. "We'll have to continue this another time, Little Bitch."

She stared at her headboard as he rolled off her, biting her lip and gulping to fight back tears. Laito slid off of her, and she only moved to hide under the covers again when the door shut behind him. Sunny tried to steady her breathing. She knew the other brother was still in the room, but at least being alone with non-Laito Sakamakis didn't make Sunny want to scream.

"Shu says I have to babysit you on your run," he finally spoke up. Sunny heard him pull out the chair by her desk to sit. At least he was on the far side of the room.

"If… if it's okay… I'd like to be by myself for a while. B-besides, I… I um… I'm trying to run before class."

"We leave for class in two hours."

"What?" Sunny ripped the covers off and stared at her clock. Had she slept through the alarm? Maybe she'd rolled over in bed and turned it off. Either way, she'd slept for ten _hours_? "Shit. Sorry, I'll change really quickly."

Subaru groaned as she scurried into the bathroom. Sunny's head felt light, but she hadn't run yesterday. She needed to get back on track. Another few days and her routine would collapse and she'd be a complete disaster.

Once her hair was sufficiently smothered and her running shoes were double-knotted, she rushed back out again to deal with her reluctant babysitter. They headed outside together.

He snarled at her when she told him she needed to get a warm-up in. "Why are you stretching? Can't we just get this over with?"

"I don't want to pull a muscle. This takes five minutes."

"And how long does running four miles take you? Twenty?"

Sunny almost laughed in his face. "Forty."

"This is ridiculous."

"Shu's supposed to be the one going with. Why'd he make you do it?"

"He didn't want to go," Subaru said. "He doesn't like you very much, and I can't blame him."

"I _am_ trying to be nicer to you guys, believe it or not, but you're making it really hard," Sunny complained, leaning up against a tree to properly stretch her quads. Her balance was off today.

"I guess Laito likes you, at least. More than he likes most brides, actually."

"I don't want Laito to like me. He's… um… he's been very forward."

"That's a kind way of putting it."

"See? I'm trying."

"Laito would like you even if you hit him with a baseball bat. Don't congratulate yourself."

"Is there any way I can keep him from crawling into my bed again?"

"The degenerate likes getting reactions out of brides. You have some… very strong reactions to things you don't like, and if you lose it every time he approaches you, he'll only be more persistent. They're called panic attacks, right? Stop having those."

The sheer stupidity of his suggestion caught her by surprise. "If I could just stop them, I wouldn't have them in the first place!"

"I don't know what else to tell you."

"Fine. Thanks for trying." Sunny seethed as she finished warming up her calves. "Ready?"

They started the run. Sunny jogged at her normal pace, which was a speed walk for Subaru. She'd never had a running buddy before. He was so much faster than her that she couldn't help feeling bad for holding him up, despite the fact that Subaru was a supernatural creature. He looked annoyed by her pace.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Sunny tried to force a conversation. "The trail's pretty grown-over. Don't you guys go down to the lake?"

"We can… what's that stupid word you humans use… teleport. Why would we use a trail?"

"Oh." That explained a few things. "Um… okay. I don't know."

"Did you seriously not know we could do that?"

"I just thought you moved really quickly…"

"Humans are always so oblivious."

"Hey, could you stop insulting my entire… um… _species_?" Were vampires _that_ different from humans? Either way, talking about them like this was weird.

"Why?" His voice dared her to continue. Sunny took the bait.

"Isn't it kind of unfair? You guys didn't even tell me that you were vampires until you tried to rip my throat out. We see you as fairy tale creatures. Myths. Why would we know whether or not you can teleport if we don't even believe in you?"

"And why would we bother telling a species as insignificant as yours about ourselves?"

"We aren't insignificant…" Sunny muttered. He was being so goddamned smug about this. What an asshole.

"Don't most of you not even live to be a hundred years old?"

"But… time doesn't pass more slowly for you guys, does it? We still experience time the same way…"

"Even if that's true, you humans die off before we begin to care about you. Just look at the sacrificial brides program."

"That's… not the best example. You make it sound like we - um… _they_ \- don't die of natural causes."

"Because you're weak. Is this as fast as you can run? You're slow."

"Whatever. Maybe I won't live as long as you and I don't have your freakish vampire strength, but… I still have feelings, you know. And you're insulting everyone I love when you call humans oblivious and insignificant."

"I know you have feelings," he said. "But since you won't live very long and you can't hurt me, I don't really care about whether I upset you or not. Does that make sense to you?"

Sunny started getting spots in her vision. Rage boiled in her stomach. She restrained herself from cursing him out. "Just because you _can_ insult me doesn't mean that you _should_!"

Subaru just shrugged at her outburst, grinning. "I never said I was a nice person."

"Why aren't you at the very least making an _attempt_?" Her vision blurred around the edges and swam in the center. Sunny slowed to a stop to glare at him. Finding his face was harder than it should have been through the haze.

"Vampires aren't nice. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better off you'll be."

"You can't tell me… that you believe that about yourself."

"I don't appreciate you making assumptions about me, especially since you don't know _shit_." Subaru snarled. Sunny vaguely registered that he was walking towards her through her spotty vision. She tried to take a step back, but couldn't figure out where the ground or her feet were, so her knees buckled instead. Something stopped her just before she hit the ground. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Are you getting anemic _already_?"

"No." The voice that protested didn't feel like her own. She couldn't see.

"What have you eaten since Shu sucked your blood?"

Sunny racked her brain. "…salad?"

"You're such a fucking idiot," he seethed. Sunny heard something shift, and she was airborne.

Deliriously, she tried to blink away the cloud. Was he carrying her again? She'd barely been okay with him the _first_ time he'd done it, and that was before she knew he was capable of snapping her neck like a toothpick!

"Put me down."

"You can't order me around."

"I'll bite you. As soon as I can figure out where you are, I'll bite you."

"I'm just taking you to the kitchen. Your blood probably tastes bad right now, anyway."

"Let go!" Sunny couldn't take being close to one of them again. She took a guess and shoved. Subaru grunted, she felt the air fly past her, and she hit the ground. Her vision was barely enough there that she could see him as he approached. Subaru was a dark form with glowing red eyes. Sunny scuttled away from him until her back hit a tree. _"Stay away from me!"_

He paused a few feet away from her. She took in a breath so large it made her lungs ache, not knowing when her next one might be. "I'm sorry it's just that you guys really freak me out! I'm not okay with you being that close to me! It scares me when any of you approach me now that I know you're vampires! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shove you. It was a reflex I just want some space I'm so sorry please don't kill me!"

Anything to keep him from taking her insides outside. Babbling over, Sunny squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment and opened them again. Subaru stared down at her. His eyes weren't glowing, at least. Had they even been glowing in the first place? She wasn't sure.

"I don't care about whether you want space or not." Sunny could tell that Subaru was struggling to make every word that escaped through his clenched teeth sound level. "And I don't care that you're scared. This is the situation that you're in. We _own_ you. You'd damned well better get used to us, because we aren't going to change because you want a cushy environment. Do you understand?"

"But…" Sunny started to argue, but decided against pushing him again. She'd done enough damage. Her cheeks burned. She couldn't look at him. "...I understand."

Satisfied enough to leave her humiliation at that, Subaru grabbed her collar and dragged her to her feet. He carried her back under one arm, and Sunny couldn't have been happier to not have to look at him as he did and for the fact that his pace could put them back at the mansion in seconds.

Rather than focus on the embarrassment of being carried again, Sunny stared at the thin line of blue plotted out her evening for the twenty seconds it took Subaru to take her back. The last gasps of twilight lingered on the horizon, ready to give in to the night.

When the mansion's front doors closed behind them, Sunny shook her head to dislodge a curtain of hair so she could shield herself from the other brothers' prying eyes. Subaru set her down on a stool in the kitchen. His grip had enough pressure in it to make her wince. She got the message and waited quietly for him to bring her food, swinging her legs as she glanced at the clock. Ten after eight. Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long.

With enough force to crumple the container, Subaru slammed a juice box down in front of her. Sunny stared at the box. She'd never been a big fan of cranberry juice, but she almost liked the cocktails her mother made her whenever she'd been sick as a little girl. She probably liked the ginger ale dilution more than anything else. Subaru was as mad as a bat out of hell, though, so she gave him the sweetest smile she could muster, poked a hole in the box, and took a sip.

It was unsweetened juice. What kind of monsters drank unsweetened cranberry juice? Sunny gagged and set the box down. "I… uh…" Subaru's expression darkened. "...thanks?"

Subaru glared and pushed the unholy abomination of a beverage back toward her. "You're welcome."

Under his watch, she choked down the rest of the juice.

* * *

The water from the faucet had felt good on her hands, but Sunny knew as soon as she put her foot in the tub that she had to add some colder water to avoid looking like a lobster for the rest of the night. Before she could turn on the water again, she caught her reflection. Sunny hadn't taken time to look at her neck since Shu bit her. Frowning, she forced herself to walk over to the mirror and peeled off the band-aids she'd been using to hide the gash she'd gotten from Subaru.

The scab from five days ago was healing, but it would take a while longer before the deep gash disappeared, if it went away at all. Shu's bite marks were cleaner. She preferred the gash - it at least was evidence that she'd struggled - even though Shu had bit her low enough where her collar covered it up.

Sunny could still feel his hand on her wrist when she closed her eyes, and she was never going to be able to unhear the horrible noises he had made as he… _fed_. She'd have to come up with a better term for it. The scabs from both wounds still hurt to touch.

Maybe her runs hadn't been worth it. She loved the lake and feeling crisp air in her lungs, but now she wouldn't be running alone. Would the brothers take turns? She couldn't even imagine being on her own with - really, _against_ \- Laito. And now… Shu _knew_.

Water splashed onto the floor, smacking into the tiles. Sunny spun around, clutching the towel (a last line of defense) around her. Speak of the devil. Shu was in the tub. In her tub. Fully clothed.

"What!" she exclaimed. "Shu?! You…! What are you _doing_ here?"

"I'm bathing."

"You have a bath in your own room, don't you?" Sunny stared at the door. He hadn't opened it on his way in. Subaru hadn't been lying about the teleportation.

"It isn't full, though."

"You can turn a knob. And why… _why_ are you wearing _clothes_? You'll ruin them!"

The edges of Shu's lips quirked. "Would you rather I wasn't dressed?"

"NO!" she roared. "Keep them on and get out of my tub!"

"Don't want to." He slid farther down in her bath. Damn it, he was even wearing shoes.

"I need to take a bath," she whined.

"I never said you couldn't," Shu replied. He looked so damned smug. She hated when the brothers looked smug. "Join me?"

Sunny threw her hairbrush at his head and stormed out of the bathroom.

Ayato was on her bed. He grinned at her as his eyes scanned her body. If she ever got the chance, she'd buy a fucking bathrobe.

"Hey, fatso. I'm thirsty."

Sunny retreated back into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

"Back so soon?" Shu asked, a serene smile on his face.

"You guys are like vultures…" Sunny muttered, sliding down the bathroom wall. The Sakamakis were being more persistent than usual tonight. She knew she could expect Laito to show up on a whim, but Ayato and Shu rarely sought her out, and the brothers had left her alone over the weekend.

"Well… there's less blood to go around." Shu stared at her from the bathtub. "Even if you don't taste as good as Yui does… we still get thirsty."

She hadn't thought about that. Of course they'd bother her more now that she was the mansion's sole blood bank. Her stomach tightened. She'd thought that four of the brothers approaching her in one night was bad, but maybe that was because she was more spoiled than she realized. What had been Yui's normal before she arrived? No wonder the poor girl was relieved when she showed up. Shifting against the wall, Sunny studied Shu.

"Where do you think Yui is?"

Shu frowned. "I don't know, and I don't really care."

"What about those guys that attacked me yesterday?" Sunny pressed. "Do you think they could have taken her?"

"Maybe? Like I said, I don't care. It's too much trouble to. There's prey right in front of me, so why should I?"

"You aren't thirsty right now, are you?" she asked, pulling the towel closer around herself.

"Are you offering?"

"No, I'm debating whether or not I want to go outside and deal with Ayato."

Shu snorted. "Don't bother with him."

"I really need to get cleaned up, though…"

He adjusted himself and gestured expectantly to the small, empty space that he created for her. Too small for comfort. Too close to him for comfort. She had to get him out of that damned tub.

"I'm giving you five seconds to get out of my bathtub."

"You can't make demands of me."

"Watch me," Sunny hissed at him. Shu closed his eyes again. She counted down on her fingers. When her fist closed, she walked over to her vanity and pulled out as many things as she could before walking back to the door.

Shu opened his eyes when the first bar of soap hit. It slammed the wall behind him. Sunny had played center in junior high softball, not anything infield. Still. The effect was there. "I'll keep throwing until you're out."

The second bar of soap fell in the water, and the fallout splashed him in the face. Shu's expression made her want to curl into a ball. Sunny was desperate, though, so she persisted. Her third projectile, a travel-size container of shampoo, hit him smack between the eyes.

The water in the tub shifted as Shu rushed to his feet. Sunny dropped the rest of her toiletries and fumbled for the doorknob. The knob jiggled in her hand, still locked. _Fuck_.

A hand appeared on her shoulder.

It wasn't the crushing grip of Monday night. Shu's touch was very light, like he knew she couldn't escape him if she tried to run and he didn't care to really hold her in place because of it. This was worse than Monday night. The hand slid down her shoulder and stopped where towel met skin. This was _much_ worse. Sunny's eyes widened. She didn't dare blink. After a few seconds, Shu's blank expression broke as his mouth twitched into a shit-eating grin.

"I'm out of the tub."

He took his hand away from her chest, and Sunny sank to her knees.

* * *

The first half of classes that day passed quietly. She refused to talk to Laito, and paying attention in class was impossible yet again. Her eyes kept drifting to Kou's blond mop of hair.

Four different vampires had walked into her room - her _sanctuary_ \- without her consent in the last twenty-four hours and she was certain it was the fault of Kou and his brothers. Hell, Sunny couldn't even handle one vampire showing up uninvited! Even if it wasn't their faults, one of them might know something about where Yui was.

Sunny spent the first half of her night mulling over her dilemma. If she approached one of the transfer students alone, they might attack her again. If she approached with one of the brothers, she might get in trouble for seeking out other vampires. Really, the only course of action she could take would be to approach one of them somewhere crowded where no vampire could rip her head off of her shoulders without being captured on a million cell phone cameras.

Azusa had said he was in Class C, but if she headed there herself it would look suspicious. The only other thing that stuck out was Ruki and how absorbed he'd been by his book yesterday. The library wouldn't be a bad place to start.

When her lunch period started, Sunny grabbed her book bag and headed off. Sure enough. She could recognize Yuma's tall frame from a mile away. There were plenty of people in the library. She could do this. She could fucking do this. For Yui.

Her knees shook as she dragged the chair out and took her seat across from him. Yuma didn't say anything right away, so she took out her salad and shoved a bite of spinach into her mouth, tasting nothing. Sunny knew he was watching her. She focused on her salad like the fucking coward she was. All the questions she'd been meaning to ask swirled in her head, but her mouth was full of spinach and lead.

"I wasn't expecting you to show up," another voice said. Sunny gripped her fork until her knuckles turned white as Ruki took the seat right next to her. Her stomach was so knotted that she was convinced the spinach wouldn't reach it whenever she remembered how to swallow again.

"Right? The stray cat's pretty brave," Kou chimed as he sat next to Yuma. This was quickly turning into a family dinner from hell. Her fingernails dug crescents into her palm. They must have known, because Kou giggled. "Well, maybe not _that_ brave."

"Where's Azusa?" Sunny asked through the spinach. Why wasn't the only friendly brother here? What kind of shit-awful luck did she have?

"He isn't in class today," Ruki stated matter-of-factly.

Sunny forced herself to swallow her mouthful. She could press a bit. "Is he sick?"

"No, he's staying behind to take care of a few things. A bag got lost in the move."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Are you guys adjusting well… um… minus the baggage issue?"

"Ehh. Moves are no fun. It's a nice school, though." Kou waved his hand flippantly and his bracelets jangled.

"It really is, isn't it?" Sunny hadn't wanted any small-talk, and yet here she was. Having a pleasant conversation with three potential kidnappers because she was too chicken to ask any real questions.

Ruki shifted next to her. "The boy that picked you up yesterday said you were new. How are you adjusting?"

She didn't trust those prying grey eyes. Ruki was clearly fishing for something. "The hours are really weird, but I'm adjusting to them."

"That's good."

Yuma glared down at her. "Why're you here?"

"Why do you ask?" It was time to jump off the fucking deep end. Sunny stuffed another fork of leaves into her mouth. There was too much spinach. It wouldn't quite fit. Damn it.

"We didn't exactly have the best first introduction," Ruki said, grimacing as she tried to force the rest of her bite in.

"If I were in her shoes, I'd be eager to explore my options," Kou cut in. "Right, kitten?"

Sunny swallowed. The leaves didn't make it all the way down her throat at first, and she winced, unable to speak until the chewed remains slid down her windpipe. "I mean… no, you're not wrong, but I uh… have you guys seen Yui anywhere?"

She'd meant to approach the subject more cautiously. Sunny shoved another gigantic mouthful of salad into her mouth and waited for one of them to talk.

"Is she missing?" Ruki asked. She couldn't read anything in his eyes beyond the obvious disgust he felt for the way she was devouring her lunch. Unable to form words, Sunny nodded. If the brothers had kidnapped Yui, she wasn't giving them new information, and if they hadn't it probably wasn't that big a deal that they knew.

Sunny choked down her third mouthful of salad, studying reactions. "Yeah. Since last night. You're sure you don't know anything?"

"What, are you suspicious?" Yuma asked, glaring at her.

"Why wouldn't I be after yesterday?" Sunny returned his look, firmly placing both feet on the ground in preparation for what might end up being a desperate escape. "You guys made it pretty clear that you weren't just interested in me. But… look… I just want to figure out where she is. I'm worried about her. So… if you guys see her around or do know anything, I'd like you to let me know. Please."

With that said, Sunny shoved another forkful in her mouth, looking at each of the brothers and gauging reactions. She couldn't bring herself to stare into their eyes.

"And how are _you_ faring?" Ruki asked, crossing his arms on the table.

"I'm doing alright," Sunny said with a shrug.

"You're lying." Kou stared at her. He said it with such confidence that Sunny wondered if vampires could read minds as well as teleport. No. Reiji would have known to rescind her letter to Jeannette if he could read her mind. She probably just looked a mess.

"I'll be fine. I'm just concerned, like I said."

"That's not what I meant," Ruki said. "How are the Sakamakis treating you?"

"Honestly? Not that great." Sunny didn't care if one of them overheard. Her face twisted into an expression of amusement. "But I'm managing. Haven't died yet."

"And you've stayed with them for how long?"

"A week."

"Umm." Kou couldn't hold back a snicker. "You do realize how bad that sounds to us, right?"

"No, I'm well aware." Another forkful. "I _am_ managing, though."

"If your definition of 'managing' is survival, you may wish to reconsider your options."

"The Sakamakis haven't gotten me into any car crashes, if you're implying what I think you're implying."

"Fair enough," Ruki said. "If you get to the point where you _aren't_ managing, however… feel free to approach one of us."

Sunny stared at him. "Erm. I'm not sure about this..."

"You never know," he said. Ruki's little smile made her uncomfortable. She didn't trust them one bit… but they _had_ just given her an out. Even if there was no way in hell she was ever going to go to their house. She forced herself to smile back.

"Keep us in mind."

"Pass me a note or something!" Kou suggested.

Sunny nodded, conflicted. "Alright, well… I should head back to class."

Kou stood up with her. "I should go too."

"I'm fine. Really."

He put a hand on her shoulder. The gesture made her flinch. _Pathetic_. Even the threat of a threat of force was enough to put her on edge nowadays. Kou looked friendlier than any other vampire she'd dealt with, though, even if he was making it clear she had no say in this. "No, I insist."

Sunny clutched the remains of the salad to her chest as they walked out in silence. When they got to the hallway, Sunny realized why Kou had gone with. Reiji lay in wait for them, glaring.

"Oh, you're one of the Sakamaki brothers, right?" Kou beamed at Reiji (who was having none of the blond's friendliness) and held out his hand. He winced when Reiji all but crushed it in their handshake, but the smile somehow held. "P-pleased to meet you. I'm Mukami Kou."

Reiji threw away his glove and replaced it before turning to Sunny. "What, may I ask, are you doing talking to him?"

"I… uh…" Sunny glanced frantically at Kou, wanting to dissolve into powder-dust. "I asked Kou and his brothers if they knew anything about Yui. Sorry. I was just… worried about her."

"We have the search for her under control."

"Sorry… I should have realized that."

"I do not want you cavorting with these heathens," Reiji glared pointedly at Kou as he spoke.

"Rude…" Kou muttered, rubbing his hand. "Anyway. I'm the one that wanted to walk back with her since we're in the same homeroom. Sorry if you guys aren't okay with that."

Reiji towered over the two of them, looking like he wanted to vaporize Kou and stomp on his ashes. "Make sure it does not happen again."

"Hey, I'm just trying to make friends here! Don't be so stingy!" Kou put both hands on her shoulders as he defended himself. Sunny flinched. Couldn't he see how angry Reiji was? Was he doing this on purpose?

"Get your filthy hands off of her." Reiji started towards them.

Kou complied at the last minute, raising his hands in false surrender before Reiji had the chance to rip them clean off his arms. "Jeez, okay! Sorry!"

Sunny backpedaled away from the vampires. She suspected she couldn't say anything without Reiji tearing both of them to shreds, so she stayed silent. Reiji grabbed Kou by his collar and hauled him up onto his tiptoes. "If you ever approach what is ours again, I will make you regret it. Am I being clear?"

"Crystal." Kou smiled up at his much-taller assailant with confidence that Sunny couldn't help but envy. "I do need to get to class, and we are headed to the same place, though. Does that count?"

"If she does not make it to class, I will know where to look," Reiji snarled, shoving Kou and stalking off.

Guilt churned in her stomach. She waited until he was long gone before speaking.

"I… I'm sorry. I should've stepped in."

"Whaaat?" Kou looked unfazed by Reiji's aggression. "I have a _waaay_ better chance against him than _you_ do, kitten." He playfully ruffled her hair. "You don't need to fight my battles. Now… let's get back to class before four-eyes comes back for seconds."

Damn it, he seemed so nice (even if her hair wasn't going to look good for the rest of the day thanks to him). Even the fact that these brothers sat together at lunch and had conversations with each other was different. She still had her doubts about Kou and his brothers, but… it was good to have something to fall back on in case networking with the Sakamakis failed.

She and Kou walked back to class in silence, and she tried to ignore Laito's stare as she headed to her desk. Sunny opened her lunchbox again and focused on eating the rest of its contents. Laito had turned around in his seat. She could feel his eyes boring holes into her forehead.

"If you're going to go off by yourself to have fun, be sure to invite me next time, hmm?" Laito said, a sneer evident in his voice. Sunny could feel the heat rushing to her face as she stuffed yet another forkful of leaves into her mouth.

She'd definitely be keeping the Mukamis in mind.

* * *

 **As always, I love receiving feedback! Thanks for reading, and see you soon for the next chapter!**


	6. Rude Awakenings

"Hey, I want to show you something."

Sunny hated when the brothers teleported behind her and made their presence known by putting a hand on her shoulder. Didn't they realize that she didn't have super-senses like them? Were they _trying_ to give her a heart attack?

"Oh, hi Kanato," she said (after jumping a foot in the air for the umpteenth time). Most of the boy's face was obscured by the teddy bear he always carried around, but his purple eyes stared at her, glistening in the light of the moon.

She'd been trying to study outside while the weather was still good enough, and since the mansion had no shortage of giant-ass candles she could study even in the twilight hours. Sunny was actually enjoying the atmosphere of her little balcony, but Kanato clearly wanted her to go with. "Just a second."

She started to pack up her things. Kanato leaned against the house, staring off into the distance. "It's almost a full moon tonight."

"It's going to be the harvest moon, right?"

"Vampires don't name moons."

"Sorry. I just like astronomy, y'know?"

Kanato scoffed. "You don't believe in that horoscope nonsense, do you?"

"Maybe for fun…" she muttered. "I just like the stars for the most part. Harvest moons look really cool, even if I'd like it a bit later this September."

"Why's that?" He didn't look the least bit interested in her reasoning.

"Because it means we're going to something like a half-moon or gibbous for Halloween. There's nothing romantic about half-moons!"

"Are you quite finished?"

"…yeah. What'd you want to show me?"

He smiled at her as she blew out the last candle. "You'll see."

Sunny wasn't as keen on the idea of surprises anymore, but she followed Kanato obediently nonetheless. This boy had angel eyes, but he was also the type to shove half a dozen biscuits down your throat if he didn't like how they tasted.

She was tired as fuck, but Sunny still had enough sense in her to stop when they reached the one spiral staircase that went to the basement and always smelled of chlorine. "Hey, Kanato… one of your brothers told me that I shouldn't go into the basement and-"

"Don't talk about my brothers when you're with me."

His tone sent shivers down her spine. "…o-okay. Sorry."

They plodded down the spiral staircase together and entered a room flooded with brilliant turquoise light that rippled off the walls. Of course these guys had a lake _and_ a pool. She didn't swim much, for obvious reasons, but it was still kinda neat-looking, and she might be able to study down here. Had Shu really warned her about this place?

"I didn't come here to show you the pool," Kanato said, practically reading her mind. He stood by a large, ornate door. Of course. This pool wasn't large enough to span the entire basement. Sunny's stomach lurched. She followed him down a dim hallway and into an unlit room.

"Umm… Kanato? What did you want to show me?" Sunny asked, feeling around for him in the darkness.

"That's right… you humans can't see when there's no light, can you?" Kanato murmured from behind her. Sunny spun around as he turned on the light. "This is one of my favorite places. Have a look."

She squinted, blinded by the change in lighting and by the masses of white. The Sakamakis liked deep blues and burgundies and browns.

Nothing in this mansion was white.

Sunny's eyes bulged as they adjusted to the room and the white blobs became discernible shapes. Wax figures. Specifically, wax women wearing wedding gowns. Wax women wearing wedding gowns that looked around _her_ age.

"They're lovely, aren't they?" Kanato whispered in her ear.

Sunny's knees trembled and she pressed her legs together in a feeble attempt to hide her terror. "I… why do you have a room full of wax figurines?"

"I like to relax in here. All these reminders… they're comforting."

 _Reminders_. Sunny's blood ran cold. Holy _shit_. She shoved her clammy hands in her pockets and started counting. "I… uh… I'm going to be honest with you, Kanato. I don't feel very relaxed right now. Wax figures creep me out."

"Why's that?"

"They look alive, but they… aren't." She kept getting off and having to start over again. Come on, Specht, _focus_! "It's eerie."

"I am rather fond of that eeriness."

"Why… wedding dresses, though?"

"Hmm. You already know the answer to that question, don't you?"

"I… um… I…" Her voice got quieter and quieter with each word. Sunny started backing towards the door. "Why did you bring me here?"

"What style of wedding dress do you like?" Kanato asked. His eyes followed every step she took. "I was thinking something flared at the waist… with a sweetheart neckline for your shoulders. They're very broad."

"I've never really liked dresses…" Sunny whispered. Kanato's face distorted into an expression of rage. "…but maybe that's because I've never found a style that I like? They always… um… make my shoulders look too big? I end up looking like I'm wearing a flour sack half of the time."

Kanato looked her up and down a few times through narrowed eyes. "Well, of course. You don't look like you even know _how_ to dress to flatter your figure."

Heat rose to her cheeks, but Sunny suppressed her fury. The overwhelming terror helped. "I'd be interested in learning." She was not interested. "Maybe you could… help me sometime?" She'd rather die before he did. "If you're willing, of course."

"I could find time over the weekend." He rested his chin on his teddy bear. "I've wanted to do something with your awful hair since you arrived. Yes. I like this. I'll make you look good over the weekend."

Kanato hummed to himself as he walked past, showing no reaction to Sunny practically jumping out of her skin as he approached. "By the way… I don't like sycophants. But I'll let it slide this once."

Sunny continued staring at the wax figurines long after Kanato had left.

* * *

"Listen to me when I am talking to you," Reiji snarled. Once again, Sunny pried herself from her thoughts and stared up at him. She couldn't get the basement room and its implications out of her mind. "I have talked to the cleaning staff, and they have moved their supplies to locations where you will not be able to find them. You will receive punishment this weekend as I see fit."

"Okay" was all she could bring herself to say in response. It wasn't like she'd done any major property damage. She'd just sprayed her room with enough air freshener to make it a health hazard. Four aerosol cans and thirteen hours later, Reiji had come in with a cloth over his face and dragged her out from under her bed to get her to go to class this evening, but those thirteen vampire-free hours had absolutely been worth the exposure and the lack of sleep. Maybe she wouldn't feel the same way after Reiji was done with her, but Sunny couldn't bring herself to care now. All she could care about was the room in the basement.

"Your behavior today has been completely reprehensible."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's going to be a fun weekend, isn't it?" Laito said, grinning.

"I called her for the next few days!" Kanato cried. "You said I could have her!"

"Now, now, she isn't going to want to be with you if you keep acting like a brat."

He turned to look at her. "I'll rip your hair out if I see you with anyone else this weekend."

"Kanato." Reiji tried to stop the incoming tantrum. "Please. I already told you. She needs to be punished for what she did today. We had to move her to a different room. She's made the guest bedroom uninhabitable for the next two days."

"Why do you have to be so _stupid_?" Kanato shrieked at her. "You did this to spite me, didn't you?"

"I just wanted to listen to some Smetana…" Shu complained.

"You should be the one disciplining her, you worthless, spoiled _child_!"

"I'm older than you are."

"Then _act like it_." His voice kept level, but Reiji still shoved her lunch into Sunny's stomach with bruising force.

"Chill your tits, Mom," Subaru said.

"Do not speak to me in that manner."

Sunny stared at her lunch. She was sick of all these fucking salads, but what choice did she have? Wouldn't they kill her if she refused? Would they kill her even if she went along with everything? Probably. At least now she knew why they were called brides. What a fucking joke.

She was trying not to dwell on the fact that she could end up some taxidermy abomination if she mistepped at the wrong time with the wrong brother in the wrong mood. But hell, who was to say that she would survive the fucking weekend?

The limo came to a halt at Ryoutei's entrance. Sunny's head swam as she stood up to leave. Maybe she hadn't done a good job avoiding the fumes after all. She managed to get out despite the spinning and plodded off to class after Laito, who for once didn't seem overjoyed by her presence. If air freshener did this much to deter them, she'd have to find a way to get more.

Kou gave her an odd look as she entered her homeroom. She took pride in the way his nose wrinkled. Her classmates probably thought she was crazy, but there were worse things to smell like than a combination of daisies and sea breezes.

Sunny was giddy for most of the morning, and note taking even went easier. She had a test coming up in math, and even though it was one of her better subjects she needed to study this weekend after almost a week of being unable to focus in class. The brides' glass eyes still lingered in the back of her mind, but she forced the image down.

The lectures in her other three morning classes left her anxious, however. She had no idea what her social studies teacher was even talking about. Sunny needed to get going before she ended up hopelessly behind. Nice as the time she'd made for herself under the bed was, she'd spent it writing letter after letter of coded pleas to Jeannette in preparation for the next time she could send something out. Letters optimistically took a week and a half to reach Rockport, so she wouldn't hear from J.J. for another two weeks. That was another thought she tried to push down whenever it bubbled to the front of her mind, thanks to how it always managed to make her throat tighten.

Lunch period arrived. Sunny wasn't even looking forward to it. She gobbled down her slice of bread and picked at her salad, grimacing at it (like that was going to make any difference). Fuck this. Begging Reiji for money to buy a snack from the vending machines by the gym would be foolish if he was still in a sour mood. Sunny decided to get a drink of water and speed walk around the school for a few minutes. It wasn't the same as running, but it did the trick in a pinch.

Kanato grabbed her wrist as she walked around the corner towards the restrooms. His expression reminded her of the one he wore after he took his first bite of ginger biscuit. "Come with me."

She was in the middle of a crowded hallway, wasn't she? Why the hell should she listen to him now? "I'm going to get a drink of water."

"Don't make me break your wrist, mortal." He squeezed, and Sunny winced as her bones creaked under the pressure.

"Fine. Okay." she hissed. "Where are we going, though?"

The boy didn't answer. Kanato practically dragged her behind him as he stomped through the hallways. Sunny stumbled behind him, trying to make puppy-dog eyes at whoever she could. Nobody made eye contact. Her stomach twisted into a knot.

Kanato dragged her into the girls' locker room and shoved her under one of the shower heads. "I'm going to wash that air freshener off of you. I can smell you from my classroom and it's awful and I hate it."

"What? No!" Sunny pulled her jacket closer around herself.

"Your clothes smell too, you absolute moron," Kanato said as he turned the shower on.

Cold water blasted Sunny in the face. She yelped at the chill. "Stop it! It's freezing!"

"And? Humans are simple creatures. If I don't make this an unpleasant experience for you, you might try it again."

"You're going to ruin my uniform!" she protested. Kanato shoved a bar of soap in her mouth, causing her to gag.

"Shut up!" Kanato snarled. He poured what must have been a half a bottle of shower gel over her head and dragged his fingers through her hair, nearly ripping it out of her scalp. Sunny screamed into the bar of soap and shoved him away.

He stumbled back, and Sunny could sense the change in atmosphere even if she couldn't see due to the shower gel in her eyes. She picked a direction and tried to run, but Kanato grabbed her shoulders and slammed her body into the wall underneath the shower.

"You think you can shove me?" he shrieked. "You filthy, worthless HUMAN!"

Kanato shoved her into the wall again. Sunny's temple slammed into the tile, and her vision went blank as pain erupted in the left side of her head.

When he let go of her shoulders, she tumbled to the ground, unsure whether the cause of her blindness was head trauma or the shower gel stinging her eyes or the tears. She faintly registered pain as she hit tile, and how her body desperately was trying to curl into the fetal position, and how Kanato's psychotic laughter sounded.

The icy water numbed everything for a while longer, and then everything was silent.

Sunny didn't know how long she lay shivering in the girls' locker room. It felt like hours. Sudsy water kept dripping from her hair into her eyes, so she closed them. Her chest heaved erratically with every sob. Sunny tried to stand up, but her limbs weren't moving as she wanted them to. Fucking useless. She'd deserved this for being a cocky bitch. She deserved this.

Shoes padded over the shower tiles. Sunny squeezed her eyes shut even harder and curled inward, hoping it wasn't an unfortunate human classmate. They shouldn't bother themselves with her. She wasn't worth it.

"Did it… hurt?" a small voice asked. Sunny pried her eyes open. Azusa peered down at her.

"Yeah," she whispered back. The single syllable took ages to form on her tongue.

Azusa smiled, revealing his fangs. "I'm… happy for you."

"I… I… nnnneed tuh go tuh th'infphirmary," she slurred. Each word was a losing battle, but Azusa seemed to understand. He helped her to her feet - too quickly, the world spun around her - and half-dragged, half-supported her as they walked out of the locker room together. Her vision blurred in and out.

After a lot of stumbling on her part and awkward readjusting on his, they reached Ryoutei's infirmary room. The school doctor took one look at her and pulled out a towel and some dry spare clothes for her. Putting them on by herself was difficult, but she managed. The struggle was worth it. Sunny crawled into a cot and tried to pay attention to the conversation Azusa was having with the doctor.

"She definitely has a concussion. Where did you find her?"

"She was… in the locker room… I think someone…"

"I ssslipped," Sunny cut in. They'd kill her if any of the staff here figured it out.

"I see," the doctor said, speaking slowly. "Well, Sunny, you should go home and get some rest. I don't have a home phone number listed for you. What number would you like me to call?"

"I can… get Ruki. He'll know what… to do." Azusa said. Sunny frowned, alarmed, but didn't protest. Ruki had said she was welcome at his place. Something blared in the back of her mind, trying to tell her that this was a bad, bad idea, but she couldn't think straight enough to figure out why that was.

Azusa returned with Ruki a few minutes later. The boys stared down at her and Sunny squinted back. The doctor wasn't in the room anymore. Something about… making copies? Sunny didn't feel comfortable being alone with the two vampires, even if they'd extended an olive branch two days ago.

Ruki cleared his throat. "When the doctor returns, I will tell him that you're staying with us. Azusa, get Kou and tell him we're leaving early so he can get to work on time."

"Okay…" Azusa left, leaving her and Ruki to stare at each other. Slowly, the fog was clearing in her mind. She shouldn't be here right now. She shouldn't trust these guys.

"What… what if I donnn't wanna go witfh you guys?" she asked.

"Do you want to go back to the mansion for the weekend instead?" Ruki pressed. "In your condition?"

"Noooo… I wanna stay here."

"The school will be closed. That isn't an option."

"I wanna go home, thennn."

"If you want to leave Japan, you're on your own. We won't help you if it doesn't benefit us."

"That's meeeeaaannnn," she whined.

"It's honest. Besides, if you leave and tell your relatives what happened to you here, it could put us at risk as well. Do you want to go home with us or not?"

"This… isn't… just for the weekend."

"Correct."

"I need… time to thhhink this overrr."

"We don't have that luxury. You might not have the luxury of a second offer."

"Thennn… no. I stay here."

"What?" Ruki asked, eyes narrowing.

"I can… do this. It's… too short. I can't think straight. I'll ssssurvive and think about it."

"You're making a grave mistake."

"I trust myself."

"You aren't thinking straight. You just said so."

"I donnn'trust you guys."

"I suppose that's fair." Ruki sighed and elegantly pressed a hand to his forehead. "It was worth a shot."

She smiled weakly at him. "Thannnkssss… for un-"

Ruki put his hand over her eyes, and Sunny drifted away.

* * *

The hum of a car engine woke her up. Startled, Sunny bolted upright and frantically took in her surroundings. She was in a limousine, but… it wasn't the Sakamaki's.

"Have a nice little cat nap?" Kou asked, smirking at her from the rear of the limo. Behind him, she could see Ryoutei through the window. The dots connected. Ruki had fucking _knocked her out_. She launched herself at the door, but strong hands stopped her before she reached it. Her head throbbed at the exertion.

"Hey… Ruki says that… you shouldn't move around much," Azusa said as he dragged her back to the seat next to him and buckled her in. "It'll… it'll…"

"Too much movement too quickly and you could injure yourself further. You have to lay low for the next couple of days. Doctor Reinhardt's orders." Ruki only glanced up from his book for a second.

"I want to go back."

"Tough love," Kou said. "You're going to be living with us. You should be happy about that!"

"You… _kidnapped_ me."

"It was too good an opportunity to pass up." Ruki's eyes flickered between them and his novel.

"That's no excuse!" she shrieked. "Let me out!"

"Noooope, no can do," Kou said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Please, guys. Take me back."

"How bold of you to make demands."

"It's okay, kitten. We're much better owners than the Sakamaki brothers. You'll see!"

"I am not your property! Or your _pet_!"

"Hoo boy," Kou laughed. "You're going to have quite the time with this one, huh Ruki?"

"I can handle her."

"I can't believe this…" Sunny muttered as she buried her face in her hands. They were out of the city, now, and the lights were getting smaller and smaller in the rear view window. She peeked through her fingers until they completely disappeared from view, and then let her hair fall over her face to obscure everything. She couldn't look. Of course these guys also lived in the middle of nowhere. Of course. There was no one to hear the screams out here. Having neighbors within earshot might make preying on girls difficult, and vampires _couldn't have that_.

These guys really wanted her for _some_ fucking reason. Their kidnapping had been brazen as hell - in the middle of school, for Pete's sake! - and the Mukamis had really tried to butter her up during lunch on Wednesday with their "talk to us if you have any trouble" garbage promises. And they tried to tell her they were better than the Sakamakis! What a joke. If they had a room full of trophy victims, she was going to lose her shit.

Azusa nudged her arm. "We're home."

Sunny stared out the window. Another mansion full of rooms where wax girls could look at her with their big, bug-eyed pitying gazes. She staggered out of the limo (Ruki in front, Kou and Azusa guarding the rear) and allowed them to herd her inside.

"You'll want a bath before anything else, and I'll have dinner ready in about half an hour. Kou, could you show our guest to her room?"

Something about the way he said guest eked her out, but sardonic comments were nothing new. She needed to address the other part of his statement first. "Dinner?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Sorry." The Sakamakis never gave her anything other than lunch. Over the weekend after all but six of her biscuits ended up in the trash, she'd gotten so hungry that she raided the pantry. There were no snacks inside. She'd been so terrified to be out in the open that she'd grabbed a few tins of vegetables and a can opener and eaten them cold in her room. Other than that… she'd had salads and bread. The Sakamaki's pantry looked like it was stocked by aliens trying to pass as human beings by having something in their cupboard. Sunny just assumed that most vampires didn't eat food.

"This way, kitten!" Kou called to her from down the hall. She followed after him, grateful one of the friendlier ones was leading her. The Mukami mansion was a bit more straightforward, with fewer towers and spiral staircases and architectural oddities that were somehow obstacles rather than landmarks. They turned left at the entrance, and her room was straight down the hallway.

Another enormous room with pale walls and a queen-sized bed. Sunny supposed these guys' lives had to look good on the outside so they could lure in unsuspecting victims and dodge the police. She liked yellow more than pink, at least. As she walked in, she realized Kou was still standing expectantly in her doorway.

"Thanks for showing me here," she said. "Where's the dining room?"

"Just go back the way we came and continue past the entryway. You'll be able to smell it. Ruki's an amazing cook."

"Ruki… cooks?" She was flabbergasted.

"We all love to eat." Kou patted his completely flat stomach as he spoke. "Sooo… do I get a 'thank you' for taking you here?"

She'd already thanked him… hadn't she? Did she? "Oh! Yeah, thanks."

"Hmm… that wasn't really what I meant," Kou said, tilting his head to the side, frowning. Sunny could tell that he wasn't happy with her answer by his demeanor change, but he reached out and grabbed her hand before she could slam the door. "When I do favors for people, I expect… _physical_ things in return, y'know?"

Her foot inched back. "Well… uh… I've had a slice of bread and a few bites of soap to eat today, so I'm not sure I'll taste very good."

Kou's gaze was too much. She stared at the door frame, hoping. In the far edge of her vision, something glowed red, but when she looked up, it was gone and Kou's chipper attitude was back in full force. "Yes, yes, good thinking, kitten! I'll think up something later. See you at dinner!"

It was her turn to frown, but she did so only after he turned to leave. Maybe she should've taken the bite after all. What kind of thing would he think up? Sunny didn't want to know. She locked both her bedroom and bathroom doors before she got cleaned up.

Her bath was short and piping hot, and she used half a bar of soap trying to completely wash off whatever shower gel Kanato had used. Vanilla-based scents were never going to be the same again.

When Sunny wiped the fog off of her mirror with a flushed hand, she was disappointed by what looked back… but not surprised. The dark circles were getting worse, and she could pinpoint where her head had hit tile by a nasty lump over her ear. Her hair would fluff up to cover that once it dried, though. It was good for something, at least.

Sunny eyed the clothes that the school nurse's office provided for the first time. The grey oversized sweatshirt and baggy pants were anything but flattering, and she welcomed that. They hadn't given her any shoes, so she was going to attend the Mukami family dinner in sock feet. Good. She didn't want to dress up for them anyway. She stumbled out of her room and followed her nose and ears to the dining hall. Sunny eavesdropped on the Mukami's conversation as she approached.

"Quit complaining! Ruki didn't have to make dinner for us this early!"

"I'm gonna be laaaate, though!"

"Shut up. This is important."

"Ugh. Fine."

"I-I can help you pack something for dinner, Kou." Sunny stopped dead in her tracks. The last voice had been female. All the puzzle pieces in her head clicked, and she ran into the doorway.

Yui sat at the dining room table, hugging her stomach. She looked even paler than she had the night she disappeared, and her face turned ashy when she noticed her standing in the doorway. "S-Sunny… why…"

"Surprise!" Kou exclaimed, gesturing to each of them with arms outstretched. "You looked so lonely that we brought you your friend, M~neko~chan!"

"N-no…" Yui stammered, clenching her fists in front of her chest. "I didn't want this!"

"You _lied_ to me!" Sunny said. "You said you hadn't taken her!"

"We never said that," Ruki corrected her as he walked in with a plate of fried shrimp and rice and steamed vegetables.

"Ah! Dinner!" Kou exclaimed.

"Save some for Azusa," Yuma snarled at Kou. "How much do you want, Azusa?"

"...however much… you want to give me…"

"I was looking for a number."

"Hey, this is serious!" Sunny tried to pry their attention away from the shrimp.

"Yes, and we can discuss things over dinner." Ruki glared at her as if she were nothing more than a nuisance. "Sit."

Sunny stomped over to the table, dragged a chair out, and sat down with a deliberate huff. She wasn't going to eat anything these fucking liars gave her, even _if_ it smelled delicious. Ruki waited for her to serve herself, and his nose wrinkled in annoyance when she didn't.

He inhaled, and the table fell silent.

"When Kou said he brought this one here as your friend, he left out a few things, livestock," Ruki spoke directly to Yui.

"Don't call her that," Sunny cut in.

Ruki shot her a glare, but continued talking at Yui. "We know that you are Eve."

"I don't even know what that means yet."

"It means you're… special," Azusa said.

"If you have even a modicum of intelligence, you have realized that we will not kill you because of it."

Yui stared down at her plate. "Y-yes… but…"

" _She_ ," Ruki began, nodding pointedly at Sunny. "Is _not_ Eve."

Ruki's implications hit Sunny as Yui's fork hit her plate. The blonde's mouth hung ajar. "Y-you… you can't…"

"We can, and we _will_. You have been difficult since you came here, and it has to stop. If you try to run again, I will kill her."

Sunny's mouth filled with bile. She swallowed it down, but couldn't open her mouth to speak. She was here as nothing more than leverage against Yui. Holy fuck, she was in an even more vulnerable position here than she was at the Sakamaki's mansion! And the only certain thing awaiting her there was a session with Reiji and his whips!

"Please. Send her back," Yui begged. "I'll behave. I promise!"

"It's a bit late for that," Ruki said before turning to Sunny. "Do you understand how little your worth is to us? If you do not obey me, you will be punished for it. Severely. Now… _eat_."

Grimacing, Sunny shoveled some rice onto her plate with a shaky hand. Desperate to keep them from seeing her terror, she forced herself to speak. Her voice barely came out. "I thought you said you guys were nicer than the Sakamakis."

"Don't insult us, sow. We _are_ nicer than them."

"Are they nicer than them, Yui?" Sunny asked. Yui preoccupied herself with pushing her vegetables around on her plate. Sunny buried her face in her hands.

Ruki nudged her elbow aside and spooned some vegetables onto her plate. "Don't compare us to them. Apples and oranges."

Inwardly, Sunny seethed. Apples and oranges were both fucking _fruit_. Besides, what was she to them? A goddamned _weed_ , probably. She wanted to scream at them and flip the dinner table and throw her vegetables at Ruki's face. Her situation was dire, however. Even worse than the position she'd been in with the Sakamakis. Pragmatism was a necessity. "I understand where you guys are coming from, but from my perspective? I'm not sure I believe you."

"We don't really give a damn about your perspective," Kou said through a mouthful of shrimp. The sentence sounded wrong coming from him. "You're here now, so the Sakamakis shouldn't matter to you anymore. Just us."

After a week and a half of attempts to get the Sakamakis on her side, Sunny was back at square one. Truthfully, she was at square negative five, though, because these guys couldn't care less about whether or not she was in good health. On the bright side, her being their hostage meant they might be unlikely to outright kill her unless she or Yui did something really bad. They'd be more likely to maim her if anything went wrong, though, and she needed both legs to work if she was ever going to get out of this situation.

Sunny peeked through her fingers at the plate of rice and vegetables. At least it wasn't another fucking salad or unsweetened cranberry juice. She looked pointedly to Ruki and crammed a broccoli floret into her mouth, hoping it was enough to prove that she'd behave. Smiling at him was out of the question, though. Even though her meal tasted heavenly, she felt like she was gargling marbles every time she swallowed.

Kou left a few minutes after that, shoveling shrimp into a plastic bag (despite Yuma's objections) and rushing out of the dining room. She and Yui ate in silence as the three remaining brothers chatted about their days. If the threat of death and dismemberment hadn't been their appetizer, Sunny might have even enjoyed the meal.

Finally, after fifteen excruciating minutes of stuffing herself with as much broccoli as she could muster and shoving the rest around her plate to create the illusion of a picked-at meal, Sunny stood up - still a little too unsteady on her feet for comfort - and brought her plate to the kitchen. She dumped her plate's contents into the garbage and washed it along with Kou's, eyeing the knife rack all the while. Nothing in it was big enough to give her solace.

"Your gaze reveals too much."

Ruki appeared behind her, and Sunny dropped a dish, only for him to scoop it up before it could shatter against the tiles. The boy's expression was cold as he handed the plate back. "Nothing in here can kill us. I'll be watching you, though, in case you foolishly choose to act on your delusions."

"Are you guys immortal or something, then?" She tried to hide her disappointment by turning back to the sink.

"Yes, but not invincible."

"Pretty bold of you to tell that to someone you just accused of contemplating murder."

"I never accused you of anything," Ruki said. Her cheeks burned. Sunny could hear smugness in his voice even if his face revealed nothing. "I don't think it's bold of me to give that information away to something this weak and tactless."

"Then… are you willing to tell me what you guys are after? What's the deal with all this 'Eve' talk?" Sunny asked.

"You don't need to know that."

"Is secrecy a vampire thing? The Sakamakis didn't tell me anything while I stayed there. You guys can grow bat wings at will or disintegrate in sunlight or walk through walls for all I know," she ranted, scrubbing furiously at a stubborn spot. "Sorry. It's just… really frustrating, you know. Not knowing anything."

Ruki dropped off a stack of dishes and leaned against the counter next to her. His presence was making her antsy. She saw his eyes narrow as she nearly lost her grip on another dish. "You should get used to it."

Sunny winced, but remained silent. The kitchen was deathly quiet save the sound of running water and dishes occasionally clanking together in the sink. Ruki's unyielding gaze was making her squirm, so Sunny untucked her hair from behind her ear and let it fall in front of her face, shielding herself from him. Water dripped from her sopping wet sleeve onto her shoulder as she adjusted. The adjustment didn't make much of a difference.

Ruki finally shifted as she placed the last dish on the drying rack, reaching out to take her dripping arm. "Follow me, livestock."

Every single ounce of her self-restraint went into not cussing Ruki out as he dragged her down the hallway. Somehow, she managed to behave, keeping her hands from his throat. She should be used to nicknames by now, but "livestock" made the pit of her stomach boil in a way that "worthless mortal" or even "little bitch" couldn't match. Sunny could practically _feel_ him chipping away at her pride. She wasn't going to let him win. Fuck him. She could take an insult.

He led her into a different bedroom and shut the door behind him. "You'll be staying here tonight."

"Uhhh. Isn't this your bedroom, though?" Sunny asked, recognizing one of the books stacked on the bedside table as the one he'd been reading when they met.

"Yes, it is," Ruki stated matter-of-factly as he rummaged through his dresser.

"What about the other bedroom?" The one without him in it. "Won't this be weird?"

"Since you admitted you were thinking of attacking us, I believe this is a necessity." He pulled a nightgown out of his drawer and tossed it to her. Black. Lacy. Too fucking short and low-cut. _Sleeveless_. "It won't be weird if you don't make it that way."

"You just made it _really_ weird, though!" Sunny whined, waving the fucking _lingerie_ in his face. "I can't wear this!"

"If you think you won't be able to get it on, I could always help you."

Sunny curled her lip and stomped into his bathroom. She stared at the flimsy thing he'd given her to wear. It was practically transparent. Good thing he'd given her the fucking underwear to match. Fuck him.

The neckline plunged almost all the way to the bottom of her sternum when she put the damned thing on. Before she walked out into certain humiliation, she grabbed multiple towels and wrapped one around herself to cover what the worthless fabric didn't.

"Don't look," Sunny begged as she crept out.

"I wasn't planning on it," Ruki said. He had magically changed into pajamas himself - modest, _opaque_ pajamas, Sunny noted - and was completely lost in a book. She began making herself a bed on his couch, but stopped when Ruki spoke again. "You will sleep _here_."

"Ruki," Sunny began, speaking slowly to keep calm. "You have a single bed."

"I've slept more than one person in this before."

 _I'm sure you have, looking at what you keep in your drawers, you sick fuck._ "I'd rather sleep on the couch, though."

"I don't doubt that." He finally looked up, and Sunny pulled her towel tightly around herself, clenching her teeth. Ruki frowned and pulled the covers down, making a tiny space for her on the very edge of his bed. "Come on, then."

Sunny valued her life more than she valued her dignity, so she crawled in next to him, making sure to keep the towel intact and her body as far away from his as she could possibly get it without falling off. "You're being unreasonable."

"Says the one that was fawning over our knives."

Ruki was so fucking cold. Sunny ground her teeth together. "Okay, okay, fine. Please… just stay on the other side of the bed."

"I have no desire to do anything with you."

"I hate this."

"Good," Ruki said, looking away from his book to glower at her. "Punishment is most effective if it is harsh enough to be a permanent deterrent."

"Well, congratulations. Consider me deterred. Can I _please_ leave now?"

"Your attitude is awful. I think you need to lose that towel."

 _"No!"_ she shrieked. Sunny frantically sat up in bed, and the movement sent her tumbling over the edge. Her worthless limbs didn't stop her from hitting the floor, but Ruki's arm around her torso did. He still hadn't put his fucking book down. How the actual hell was he this collected? A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. This fucker was _enjoying_ her torment. "This isn't funny!"

"Entertaining as this is…" Ruki began, dragging her closer to him. "I did have some concerns that I wanted to address. Let me see your arm."

Sunny hugged her chest, baring her teeth. "Why?"

"Let me see it."

"No." Her protest was lost to him, and Ruki grabbed her hand and dragged her arm under his lamp, frowning. Sunny ground her teeth together to hold back the tears. "This isn't that fucking important. Why do you guys even care?"

"I care because now I know I don't want you anywhere near Azusa."

"He does it too?" Sunny asked, pulling away from him. His silence was enough. "I'm not going to be a negative influence. I don't go around waving my arm in people's faces, for fuck's sake. It's _embarrassing_. What, do you think we're going to have a razor party in your entryway? Fuck off."

Her vision was blurry, but she hadn't really released the waterworks in front of a vampire - or anyone in quite a while, come to think of it - and Sunny wanted to keep it that way. She was already vulnerable enough in every other aspect of her life. She gritted her teeth.

Ruki's glare was cold and unforgiving. "Azusa will approach _you_."

"It's not like I have any say in that, you know!" Sunny protested, pulling the covers around herself. "What are you expecting from me?"

"I just told you."

"Have you considered talking to him? That'll probably be more effective than-"

"He's very stubborn."

"Then why do you think he'll listen to me?" Sunny asked. When Ruki didn't answer, she shook her head and rolled onto her side so she wouldn't have to look at him. "Fine, don't say anything. I think I can figure out your reasoning anyway, and if I'm right… _urgh_. I don't know. I'll do my best, but you have to understand that I… I can only act within the boundaries that you guys set for me. As much as that hurts to say."

"I suppose that's all I can ask of a human."

His statement hurt, but it was nothing if not honest. "Thanks for… understanding."

"You're welcome." Ruki lifted the book again, a clear signal for her to shut up.

Sunny scooched away from him, grateful to still have her towel. She hated the idea of being so close to him, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice of anything anymore. Which was incredibly frustrating. Her eyelids drooped despite the voice in the back of her mind screaming for her to throw a book through his window and jump into the bushes below. Escaping that way would likely break her leg, though, given her luck. Besides, she hadn't slept since… since before Kanato showed her the wax figures. _Wednesday_. Good lord.

She looked at the clock above Ruki's door. Five o'clock in the morning. Kanato had attacked her less than six hours ago. She'd arrived at Ryoutei feeling good about the air freshener trick nine hours ago. Of course, Sunny hadn't believed in vampires a week and a half ago. It was strange to put things in perspective.

She crossed her arms around her chest, feeling emptier without Duke. What was going to happen when J.J. stopped getting responses? Would she tell Maira? Would anyone look for her? Sunny hoped not. She really wasn't worth their time. Her fingernails dug into her skin, leaving crescents behind. Now wasn't a good time to think about her situation. She'd just end up crying in front of Ruki, and there was no way in hell she was going to do that.

Sunny steeled herself by biting her cheek. Hard. She could do this. She could make it out of this alive. The clock in Ruki's corner ticked, and Sunny watched the sky just outside Ruki's window brighten until its rhythm became an afterthought, and then she let the exhaustion overtake her.


	7. Fog

Sunny woke when something nudged her. It wasn't much, but she was on edge, so she jolted upright. It was daytime outside. Light streamed in through gaps in the curtains. She hadn't seen the sun since she arrived in Japan, and even the slivers streaking across the floor sent a pang through her heart.

Whatever had woken her nudged again, and Sunny remembered that she was in the Mukami's mansion in Ruki's room in his goddamned single bed. Ruki turned over next to her. His arms obscured his face, but she could see the sweat on his grey pajamas. The vampire let out a noise that sounded so much like a sob that she thought she'd misheard before he did it again. He was having a nightmare.

What was she supposed to do in a situation like this? The thought of escape crossed her mind, but she didn't want him to wake in a sour mood and notice her absence. Were you supposed to leave dreaming people alone or wake them up? Did that logic even apply to vampires? Ruki's body shivered in his sleep. He looked so… miserable. She couldn't leave him like this.

"Hey, Ruki," Sunny whispered, gingerly placing a hand on his shoulder. "Wake up." She didn't get a response, so she tightened her grip and shook him lightly.

Ruki jerked awake. For a brief moment, as he took her in with puffy eyes, he was just a vulnerable boy to her. Sunny took her hand off of his arm, slowly, trying not to startle him. "It's okay, you were just having a nightmare."

He blinked a few times, and his eyes narrowed, reminding her that she was in bed with the one of the worst guys that she'd ever met. And also that he could rip her in half if he chose to. "I… uh… sorry. I won't tell anyone. Would you like me to leave?"

"You're right," Ruki said. "You _won't_ tell anyone."

Faster than she could react, Ruki snapped his arm out and grabbed hold of her neck. He squeezed, blocking all air and nearly crushing her windpipe. Sunny gasped for air and tried to pry his hand off, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. He didn't even _budge_. Ruki's expression didn't change as he eyed her with disdain, studying her reaction as if she were a particularly troublesome lab rat. Hot tears ran down Sunny's face as her vision began to darken, and her arm fell limp against her side.

He let go of her throat just before she blacked out. "Do you understand?"

Sunny nodded, coughing between gasps for air. She tried to wheeze out another apology, but her body wasn't cooperating. He'd almost killed her. A few more minutes and she would have _died_. Shaking, she stared up at his ceiling, desperate to leave but too frightened to act on those instincts.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to rasp. Sunny was sobbing openly now. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

Ruki rolled over away from her. Even so, she heard his command through the pathetic noises she was making. " _Leave_."

Her legs figured it out. Sunny bolted out of his room, sprinting down the hallway despite still being unable to draw a full breath. She flung her door open, locked it behind her, and pushed a chair in front of it before collapsing into bed. Her usual comfort, Duke, wasn't there. Of course he wasn't. She was _here_.

Sunny smothered her face in a pillow and screamed.

* * *

"Hey! Sow!" a gruff voice shouted. "Ruki said you'd want these back."

Yuma dropped a light bundle onto the foot of her bed. Sunny curled into herself, smashing a pillow into her face. She knew what he had given back, and the thought of the conversation they must have had made a small part of her wish that Ruki had gone through with the strangling.

"Well?" Yuma demanded. "Put 'em on."

"Trust me. I'll change as soon as you leave," she grumbled, rolling over in her nest of blankets.

"I'm not leaving. We have work to do."

Sunny poked her head out. Yuma glared down at her, arms crossed. He was fucking serious about this, wasn't he? "Okay, fine, but can you at least leave the room so I can change?"

"Fine. Whatever." Yuma kicked her barricade out of the way as he exited. Sunny threw on her patient's clothes and rushed out, afraid she might take too long and upset him. Who was she kidding? Yuma _always_ looked upset. Now was no exception.

"Take this." He shoved a basket into her arms.

Sunny frowned at him. "What's this for?"

"Holdin' stuff."

Sunny grimaced, slowly processing what his non-answer. "What stuff? Where are we going?"

"Vegetables. We're headed to the garden."

Yuma led her outside behind the mansion, and she followed behind, squinting in the sunlight. She hadn't been outside in the daytime since she first arrived in Japan. This was a welcome change, even if Yuma's presence was unnerving.

"Um… Yuma… are you alright with going outside now?"

"Huh?" He looked genuinely confused for a second. "Ah. The sun. We ain't gonna burn up in a little sunshine."

"Oh." Great. _Another_ potential weakness she had to cross off the list.

"Y'ain't all that bright, are ya?" Yuma grinned down at her. Sunny frowned. It took her a little bit longer for her to translate his informal way of speaking, but she knew he was insulting her well before she figured out the words themselves.

"Humans' knowledge of vampires is… very different from what you guys are really like."

"Are ya disappointed we don't sparkle in the sunlight?"

"Like in _Twilight_? Would you be upset if I said yes?" She'd never read the books, but the vampires in Twilight were decent people. The vampires she'd met were not.

"Uh, yeah. That book series is fuckin' insulting. Gotta admit… it makes pickin' up other sows easier, though. With all the romance n'shit. They're less likely to run nowadays."

"That makes sense. You guys are scarier than the _Twilight_ vampires, though. Does that make you feel better?"

"That's hardly a compliment. Those vampires are fuckin' awful. 'Vegetarian' vampires… what a fuckin' joke. You ever eaten a deer b'fore? Huh?"

"Uh…"

" _Disgusting_. And they're hard to catch! Girls're much nicer."

"What about guys?" She was curious.

"Eh. They're alright." Yuma shrugged. "Don't taste as good. Lotta guys your age have shit diets, and it ruins their blood. Plus, they fight back more. It's a pain. I'm hungry. I don't wanna have a fuckin' boxing match before my meal."

They turned a corner as he ranted, and Sunny couldn't keep the off the smile that rushed to her face. The garden was enormous. Tomatoes the size of softballs practically glowed in the sunlight, and the little cherry tomatoes sparkled like gems. Lower to the ground, yellow squash peeked out from behind the leaves.

Sunny glommed onto a patch of raspberries. Her mouth watered just looking at them. Her dad had planted a tiny bush of them when they lived in Derry, and the thing had taken up their garden space. In the fall, she made a habit of coming home from school and stuffing as many of the things in her face as she could. They were still her favorite, but her mother hadn't planted any in Rockport, and they were expensive in the supermarket.

"Hey, wipe that grin off y'er face. We all gotta get these to Ruki for dinner, y'know," Yuma said, giving her a side eye.

"You have such a nice garden." Sunny pressed a hand to her face to hide her exposed teeth. "It's just… wow."

"Yeah, duh. I take care of it."

"You do a really good job. This is incredible."

"Thanks. Hold the basket for me."

Sunny stared up at the sky as Yuma worked to fill the basket. Puffy clouds floated past, casting occasional shadows over the garden. The air was lovely and crisp and cool, and the sky was so blue that it made her heart ache for the days she'd spent in Derry. The move had been necessary, but she missed the foggy mornings followed by crystal clear skies that were typical of September. Rockport just… didn't compare.

"Hey, quit spacin' out," Yuma muttered, setting another gargantuan tomato in her basket.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking down at him (for once) as he examined another tomato on the vine. "That one looks nice."

"It could use another day."

"Ah… sorry."

"Y'er both too timid," Yuma said as he stood up. He had at least a foot on her, and the way he stood so close only emphasized that fact. He probably did it on purpose.

"Uh… I…"

"Don't you dare apologize again. I'll smack 'ya."

"I wasn't about to," she lied.

Yuma snickered, running a hand through his hair. "C'mon, Sow, let's get these inside."

"Stop calling me that," Sunny said under her breath. Yuma simply walked off, leaving her no choice but to jog to catch up, her protest ignored.

Sunny clenched her fists around the basket when she noticed that Yuma was heading down the same hallway she was. She knew where the kitchen was. She knew _he_ knew she knew where the kitchen was. Vampires never stuck around unless they wanted something, and she had to grip more and more tightly with every step as her palms sweated. He remained silent until she set the vegetables down in the kitchen.

"Hey, Sow. I'm thirsty," Yuma finally said. There it was. _Fuck_.

Sunny poured Yuma a glass of water and stared him dead in the eyes. She'd had her blood sucked (successfully) a grand total of one single time, and she planned to keep that number as low as she possibly could.

The edges of his lips quirked. "That's right. Y'er new to this. I know ya aren't _that_ dense, though."

"Water is a perfectly good way to quench your thirst!" Sunny set the glass next to him and started backing away, keeping the kitchen's island between them.

"I'd go to the other one, but she's pretty dry right now." Yuma admitted. He tilted his head, grinning at Sunny in a way that made her blood curl. "How many times have ya been bitten, Sow?"

"That's none of your business!"

"I know the NEET's done it, at least. I can smell him all over ya."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." What the hell was a Neat?

"Y'know. Blondie. Sleeps in the middle of the fuckin' hallways."

"Oh, you're talking about Shu." The door was a few feet away. It opened into the dining room, so she had hope. She could make it. "Uh… yeah. He did."

"What's his deal, anyway?"

"He just… likes to sleep? I don't know, Yuma."

"I don't like smellin' him on ya."

She couldn't do anything about that! "Um… sorry?"

Yuma's eyes narrowed as she grabbed the doorknob. "What'd I say about apo-"

Sunny streaked out of the kitchen and slammed the door behind her. She sprinted toward the dining room's exit, but a crushing weight forced her onto the table just before she reached it. Yuma had her arms pinned above her head and her legs crushed between his and the table, which put her in an incredibly compromising position.

Sunny's breath hitched.

"Ah. Here it is." He had pulled her collar down to reveal the colorful mess of bandaids that she wore to cover up the bite marks. She winced as he peeled them off. "Yeesh, Sow. What's this one here?"

She hadn't been able to breathe since he pinioned her, so there was no way in hell she'd be able to gasp out a proper answer. Sunny stared at the ceiling, eyes wide. He was so fucking _cold_. Her head spun.

"Fine, whatever," Yuma muttered after a few seconds of nothing but pathetic gasps on her part. How could she have her mouth open this wide and _still_ not be able to get any air? "As long as you don't struggle with _me_ , I don't care."

Her entire body was being a _useless flesh wad_ , so he was in no danger of her fighting back. Sunny squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip until she tasted iron. Her heart felt like it was trying to burst from her chest. _In one, two, three_ -

Something cold pressed up against her lips. She'd been a fucking idiot. Of course he could smell the blood pooling around her mouth. Yuma was a fucking vampire and she'd just given him a goddamned _invitation_. "Stop it!"

"I don't waste food." He paused long enough to stare down at her, giving Sunny time to suck in her lips. She glared in a feeble attempt to deter him, knowing she absolutely wasn't intimidating him by doing so. Yuma bared his teeth. "Still feisty, aren't ya?"

She struggled to throw him off of her. He had her body twisted and her legs pinned against each other, though, and she wasn't making any progress. The thought of being bitten again, of hearing those horrible sucking noises as they _fed_ … it was too much. Sunny opened her mouth to scream, but what came out wasn't nearly as loud as she needed it to be. There wasn't enough air in her lungs. Yuma latched onto her face again, running his tongue across her bottom lip. She was going to throw up.

"How many times have I told you to do that in your room?" a voice said. Yuma and Sunny both turned to look at Ruki, who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. "You could at least take the tablecloth off. You'll stain it."

"Sorry, Ruki," Yuma muttered, wincing. Sunny could have kissed Ruki. She was saved. Her relief quickly turned to horror as Yuma threw her over his shoulder, however.

"Put me down!" She pounded her fists against his back. "Yuma! Knock it off!"

"You're obnoxious," Yuma said through clenched teeth. Sunny stared at Ruki, wide-eyed and pleading, but the look he gave her in return was anything but sympathetic.

"I went out and bought you some clothes," Ruki said as Yuma carried her out of the dining room. "They're in your dresser."

Sunny furiously gestured to Yuma, trying to convey her distress and frustration. How could he be mentioning _clothes_ right now? Did he think she would care about her fucking _wardrobe_ while she was being carried off to have her blood sucked?

Ruki walked off, and with rage overtaking all else, Sunny had to put everything she had into keeping herself from screaming obscenities at them. She chose instead to shriek unintelligibly while flailing against Yuma's shoulder. Yuma snorted, making it clear her tantrum was little more than a nuisance to him.

He carried her to her room and dropped her on her bed. She tried to escape, but he crawled on top of her, crouching above her with his impossibly long limbs caging her in. Sunny clenched her teeth and waited for the inevitable.

Yuma was much rougher than Shu had been, probably because she'd tried so hard to get away from him. His fangs punctured her neck right over the scabs she had from Shu. She hissed at the contact, but resisted the urge to buck away from him. Thanks to Subaru, she knew better.

Everything about feeding was bad. The fangs themselves were the _easy_ bit, for crying out loud. Shu and Yuma and Subaru had all gone for her neck first, so it must've been a vampire preference, and an awful one at that. When they went for her neck, it required them to get close to her.

Yuma relaxed into the hold, and his entire body fell on top of hers. He wasn't light. Proximity was bad enough, but the noises were worse. Neither Yuma nor Shu properly paced themselves, so they had to gulp for air every once in a while, and that fucking gasp as they pulled away to breathe was now Sunny's least favorite sound on the fucking planet.

Yuma pulled away, and Sunny tried to look away from the dribble that trailed down his chin. He wiped it away and grinned down at her. "Well, you ain't the worst tasting Sow I've bitten."

"I'm fucking honored," she snarled back at him. "Are you done yet?"

"Not yet." Yuma's brows furrowed as he studied her. "Do ya like this sweatshirt?"

"Um. It's okay, I guess."

Sunny yelped as he ripped the fabric around her chest to shreds. "Holy _shit_! _No_! I like this sweatshirt!"

"It's a bit late for that." He pressed his ear to her chest, humming as he closed his eyes. "Your heart's racing."

"I'm sure it is." Her fingernails dug into her palms.

"Am I excitin' ya that much?" He wove his fingers through her hair as he smirked into her chest. What was with vampires and their weird-ass obsessions with conflating her fear with infatuation? Sunny could have laughed in his face. He didn't have any chance with her whatsoever. _None_ of them did!

"It isn't excitement."

"You could'a fooled me."

"Maybe that's your own damned fault." Sunny leveraged one arm against the mattress and pressed the other's palm to his forehead and tried to shove Yuma off of her. It didn't work. At least Yuma seemed amused by her attempts and not annoyed. She wished she could wipe that stupid toothy grin off his face. With a brillo pad.

Yuma quirked an eyebrow. "You talk big for someone so weak."

Sunny wanted to argue with him _so badly_ , but given how little progress she was making with pushing him away, she would just end up making a fool of herself. She flopped back onto the mattress with a melodramatic groan. "Yeah, well… I'd rather be weak than a colossal jerk."

He settled onto her chest, mirth gleaming in his eyes. "Y'er more fun than the other Sow. I'll give ya that."

"Yeah, well, _Yui's_ a lot better off than I am." She made sure to emphasize Yui's name so Yuma might remember that she _had_ one.

"S'nothing either of you can help." He closed his eyes again, and she shifted, trying to find a position more comfortable than the one she was in within her limited parameters. He wasn't making things easy for her.

"You're heavy," she complained. "I don't like this."

"Tough." Yuma did take some of his weight off of her, though, if only to position himself so he was closer to her neck again. Sunny winced at his proximity and stared at the swirls in the wood of her bedside table. When her dad took her to get flu shots when she was little, the nurse always said that looking away helped, and fangs weren't that different, right? Bites were just needle pricks. Don't tense up. Don't forget to breathe.

She was still stiff as a board when his fangs found the muscle just above her collarbone.

Yuma sucked her blood until the grains of wood smeared into one another, and Sunny faded from consciousness.

* * *

The ceiling was unfamiliar when she opened her eyes again. Sunny jolted upright, then recognized her new bedroom. Right, she hadn't actually _slept_ in it before. Did fainting due to blood loss count as sleep? Sunny didn't know. Her exhaustion made her want to say that it didn't, but she hadn't gone for a run in four days, and she always felt exhausted when she didn't run in the morning. Evening. Whatever.

Sunny wobbled as she stood up, catching her reflection in a mirror and grimacing despite the relief she felt at still being able to see herself. The front of her sweatshirt was damaged beyond repair. She lamented the loss. It had been two sizes too large on her, but it was soft and comfortable and _warm_ , damn it. Ruki had mentioned clothes before he let Yuma carry her off, but something told her he hadn't bought her any oversized sweatshirts.

She wobbled over to her dresser. Her drawers were filled with dark, jewel-toned clothes. She recognized the slip he'd given her last night in the top drawer and slammed it shut. Fuck him.

The tops were all long-sleeved, thank goodness, but too low-cut for her liking. Well, what had she been expecting? The thought of Ruki buying her a wardrobe of turtlenecks crossed her mind, and Sunny snickered as she pulled one of the more modest tops out (she didn't normally go for red, but she'd make due for today). She grabbed a pair of trousers and the only shoes he had bought her - black flats. She missed her trainers.

Sunny padded out into the hallway, thinking she would try to find a book or something. Ruki was always reading, so there had to be _something_ for her to borrow. She would ask him for running shoes in a few days, once the strangling was less fresh in her mind. Rain pattered against the windows, and the occasional lightning strike wasn't enough to illuminate the hallway, so she flipped switches as she went.

After knocking on and opening nearly every door on the second floor, one opened. Yui stood in the doorway, smiling weakly at her. "Hi, Sunny."

"Hey, Yui." The formalities of how-do-you-dos were absolutely worthless here (the only acceptable answer was _"bad"_ ), so she got to the point. "I was going to find something to read. Do you know if these guys have a library or something?"

"I… erm…" The girl knitted her fingers together, frowning. "I don't know. I don't go out a lot."

Sunny nodded, forcing a lopsided grin onto her face. "Do you want to come with me? They probably can't take both of us!"

Yui giggled a bit at that, which lifted Sunny's spirits. "I'd like that."

Their conversation made the empty hallways a bit brighter as they searched. "Have you seen the garden yet?"

"Yeah," Yui said. "It's really pretty. I love Yuma's roses."

"Wait, wait." She couldn't hold back a laugh herself at the image. "Yuma takes care of those, too? Him? Roses?"

"I know! I find it really endearing."

"Next, you're going to tell me that Ruki wears a pink frilly apron as he cooks dinner."

"I haven't caught him in the act… yet."

They were both giggling like… well… schoolgirls. "I could make a pie or something later to, y'know, get a feel for the layout of the kitchen."

"Ooh, you do that! I love pies anyway!"

"Alright, hear me out," Sunny began. "My neighbor makes this one pie. It sounds really weird, but it's sooo good. I could make one for just the two of us and we could see if they have a T.V. or something and have a movie night."

"That sounds great," Yui began. "But… what kind of pie is it?"

"Sour cream and raisin."

"Gross! _Eurgh_!" Yui stuck her tongue out, but the grin remained.

"Hey, I warned you! It's good, I promise!"

"How about I just make some french toast? It's my specialty."

"Okay, first of all, _ouch_." Sunny pressed a hand to her chest and traced a fake tear line down her cheek. "But… yeah. That sounds delicious. Forget books, let's have that movie night!"

"You're noisy."

Yui stopped dead in her tracks, smile frozen on her face, and Sunny looked ahead at Ruki. She wasn't about to let him spoil her movie night. "Oh, hey Ruki. Do you guys have a T.V.?"

"No. Kou has a laptop, but he isn't here right now."

"Oh, where's he at?" Sunny tried to keep her cheer. Ruki was making it difficult.

"A concert," he answered curtly.

"Who's he seeing?" she asked. Yui shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"No, he's _performing_ at a concert."

"Kou's an idol," Yui explained. "Ruki says he's gone on weekends a lot."

"Oh, that's neat. When will he be back?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"So… as his older brother - you _are_ his older brother, right? - can we borrow his laptop?" Sunny knew she was pushing the boundaries. "I realize you're probably worried we'll Skype the police station, but hear me out. We'll let you join in on movie night! That's a privilege, y'know. I wouldn't normally let a boy join in. You all have cooties or whatever. So? What do you say?"

The babbling probably didn't help their case. Ruki frowned at her, and Sunny made the mistake of running her mouth. She couldn't help it. "Yui's making french toast. I'll bet it's de-"

" _No_." He pressed a hand to his temple, sighing. "I'm not going to let you borrow Kou's laptop."

"Even for french toast?" Sunny asked, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Yes."

"Booooo." She gave him a thumbs-down. Yui standing next to her was bolstering her confidence in the worst possible way. "Killjoy. Fun-hater. Have you even _seen_ a movie before?"

"Is she always this insufferable?" Ruki asked Yui. "I am having second thoughts about her worth as a hostage."

"S-Sunny's just enthusiastic," Yui stammered. "We were really looking forward to watching a movie."

"Would you be down if I made a pie instead?"

"Sour cream and raisin? It sounds disgusting."

"Oh, so you're a killjoy _and_ an eaves-"

"Hey, Sunny!" Yui cut in, poking her on the shoulder and shooting Ruki a desperate glance. "We could always read a book instead! Remember?"

"Right…" Sunny frowned as she studied Ruki's expression. She had gotten carried away. "Sorry, Ruki. Do you guys have any books we could borrow?"

"I can show you to the library. Follow me."

Her conversation with Yui had been nice while it lasted.

The two girls followed behind Ruki in silence. As they approached a room with double doors on the first floor, Sunny picked out a soft voice coming from inside. Ruki led them in. It was much smaller than what the Sakamakis had, more like a living room with bookshelves taking up as much wall space as physically possible. In the middle of the room, Yuma lay down on a couch and Azusa sat beside him on the floor, both absorbed in their textbooks.

"Thanks for taking us here, Ruki," Yui said, bowing formally. Yuma snorted from the couch, and Sunny wrinkled her nose at him. Jerk.

"Yeah, thanks," Sunny joined in. "This looks like a really nice study spot." Oops. "Uh. If I ever need to study for anything. Sorry."

"Ruki…" Azusa said from the floor. "Yuma and I… have been…"

"This imaginary number shit doesn't make any sense," Yuma interrupted. "How can numbers be imaginary? It's fuckin' stupid."

Azusa looked down at his textbook, and his hair fell to obscure his face. "Yeah…"

Sunny couldn't help but feel bad for Azusa. This wasn't the first time she'd seen him be interrupted by one of his brothers for speaking so slowly. She didn't want to help Yuma in any way, but Azusa just looked so dejected. Besides, math was one of her better subjects. "The whole 'imaginary' thing is-"

"I don't want _your_ help, Sow," Yuma snarled.

Her eyes went wide. Yui took a book off the shelf and buried her face in it. Sunny stared at him, her mind drawing a blank as to why he would refuse her help. "I… um… sorry?"

"I wouldn't… mind…" Azusa murmured, collecting his papers.

"I have to talk to someone now, Yuma, but I can help you afterwards," Ruki offered.

"S'fine. I can figure it out myself," Yuma growled. Sunny made sure to sit as far away from him as she could while still being able to see Azusa's work. Ruki didn't object. This was okay, right? Yuma and Yui were here, so Azusa probably wouldn't try anything funny.

"Alright. You know where to find me." Ruki said as he left. Yuma muttered something under his breath, but Sunny couldn't make it out. She glared at the brunet, pointedly, before turning to help Azusa.

"So… imaginary numbers, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah… I don't really… understand negative square roots."

"Alright." Sunny reached out and grabbed a pencil and a sheet of paper, aware of Yuma's eyes on her back. "Take… negative five. Two negatives make a positive, right? So when you multiply them together, you get positive twenty-five. Twenty-five is the square. Negative five is the root."

"Yeah… I get that…"

"Uh… so… imaginary numbers kinda ask, 'what if the _square_ was negative?' Does that make sense?"

"Not really…" Azusa scrunched his face up.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, either," Sunny admitted, ignoring the snort from Yuma. "Because… they shouldn't exist according to what we know based on multiplication rules. Two negatives multiplied together make a positive, so squares can't be negative. Hear me out for a second. In _calculus_ , you-"

"I don't give _two shits_ about _calculus_!" Yuma butted in.

"I thought you wanted to figure it out on your own," Sunny said. Thankfully, Yuma stayed quiet. "Anyway, in calculus there's this whole thing called differentiation. Using imaginary numbers can make solving differential equations easier sometimes, and that's one of the reasons we use them.

"So… uh. Negative twenty-five. We know that the square of positive twenty-five is five, but we don't really know how to make a negative square into a root. So we put the _i_ \- which signifies that it's imaginary - behind the five to… uh… show that we're dealing with an imaginary number. Since you aren't doing calculus, it's basically there to say 'I don't know what this is" and be a placeholder for the five."

"But… how are they… imaginary?"

"That's more of… an unfortunate case of nomenclature." Sunny paused. "Uh… a bad name. It's not that imaginary numbers don't exist… it's that they don't act the same way as regular numbers. We know we have natural numbers, integers, and rational and irrational numbers, even if those sometimes don't make sense, right? Imaginary numbers are kinda like… a fifth type of number that we don't really understand. According to what we know about numbers, they shouldn't exist. But… they do help us figure out patterns in calculus and even trig, and we know how they act more or less, so we can figure out what to do with them in certain situations. Sorry. I don't know how else to phrase it."

"No… I understand." Azusa smiled down at his textbook. "...kind of."

"Do you know how to do calculus, Sunny?" Yui asked as she settled onto the couch across from her with a book.

"No, not a lot of it. We just use differentiation in my physics club sometimes."

"You seem… smart." Azusa complimented her.

"That's one way of putting it," Yuma grumbled.

"Jeez, no! I'm awful at actually plugging the numbers in. I totally relied on J.J. to do that for me when did group work," Sunny said, glaring at Yuma. "Basic differentiation is really, really simple once you get the concept down. It's not actually that impressive."

"Who's… J.J.?" Azusa asked.

Sunny stared down at his textbook, reeling. Shit. _Shit_! She hadn't wanted to mention J.J. to these guys! "She's… um… my best friend back home."

"Another nerd, probably." Yuma gave her a shove with his foot. She assumed it was meant to be playful, but the force of it still sent her tumbling to the ground. "A club for fuckin' _physics_. Gimme a break."

Sunny peeled her face from the tile, scowling at him. " _I_ find it pretty fun."

"Can you… check my answers?" Azusa asked. "After I'm finished…"

"Yeah, sure!" Sunny looked at the cover of his textbook and mulled over a question that had been bothering her since the Mukamis kidnapped her. Would she be needing that textbook for anything? She was supposed to be studying abroad here. What would happen if she just stopped going to classes? Were they hoping that the school wouldn't make any inquiries or call her home? Sunny decided to hold onto that question for a while. She could ask before class on Monday. They wouldn't kill her before then, right?

"You can hit me… if I get them wrong," Azusa said, placing an icy hand on her arm and bringing her back from her thoughts.

"I'm not going to do that!" she exclaimed, scooting away from him.

"You can't just ask girls to hit you," Yuma scolded.

"But… she…"

"Yuma's right, Azusa." Ruki appeared in the doorway, and Sunny winced under his gaze. He looked… miffed. More so than usual. She hadn't been about to hit Azusa. Surely he wasn't upset over the request itself… right?

"Fine…" Azusa murmured. "Did you… reach him?"

"No, I wasn't able to." Ruki pulled out the book he'd had on his bedside table and placed it on one of the shelves. "If I make lunch, does anyone want some?"

"If it isn't too much trouble," Yui piped up from the couch. Azusa and Yuma both nodded and Sunny perked up at the mention of food. She was still a bit lightheaded after what Yuma had done to her this morning - no, this _evening_ \- and the nausea wasn't going to get better if she didn't put something into her system.

"Do you want help with lunch?" she asked.

"I can handle it myself," Ruki stated, his voice full of ice. "You might ruin it."

"Um… okay… sorry," she muttered, pressing her lips together. Sunny hadn't been raised to freeload. She helped out where she could, and she did the dishes afterwards, damn it!

Maybe she shouldn't be offering to help out, though. Hadn't they kidnapped her? Sunny shouldn't feel like she owed them anything. Besides, it seemed like these guys _really_ didn't want her help with _anything_. If they were going to be prideful assholes, it wasn't _her_ responsibility to bend and meet them halfway, _especially_ given her circumstances.

"I'll bring it here when it's done," Ruki said, choosing not to acknowledge her apology. She frowned after him as he left. From the couch, Yui shot her a sympathetic look, which made Sunny feel a little bit better - but not much. The ice she walked on here was much thinner than it had been at the Sakamaki mansion, and the Mukamis were a much closer group, so every affront to an individual brother would potentially be communicated to the whole and weighed against the merit of keeping her around and alive. She felt like she was treading on eggshells blindfolded.

Sunny wanted nothing more than to leave the library and crawl into her bed and hide, but Ruki was making lunch, so she was stuck here for courtesy's sake.

If she tried to read with her thoughts buzzing like this, she wouldn't get anywhere, so Sunny stood and padded over to one of the window seats. Through the lines of drizzle, she could see the outlines of flower beds extending to the edge of the woods, which a few stone statues guarded. Warm light from the house illuminated the cobblestone paths.

Something moved in the corner of her eye, and Sunny caught a pair of flashing yellow eyes before a large shape ran into the woods. It looked like a dog, but… big. _Really_ big. Did Japan have any wolves? Sunny had gone through wildlife books back when she was delusional enough to believe she might have a fun time sightseeing in Japan, and she could've sworn she read that the islands didn't have any left. Of course, the Mukamis were loaded. They could afford the best hell beast guard dogs that money could buy even if they had supernatural powers and didn't fucking _need_ dogs. Showoffs.

Great, now she had to figure out how to outsmart dogs _and_ vampires in order to escape. Sunny pulled her legs into her chest and pressed her cheek into the window, watching it fog as she exhaled. She had a hell of a lot of work to do if she wanted to make it out of this alive.

Sitting still wasn't helping her stay alert as she ran through escape routes in her head. Her eyelids drooped, and she found her back sliding and molding into the soft cushions of the couch. Fucking leeches. She shouldn't be this tired. Still… the pattering of rain against the window and darkness outside told her that she wasn't supposed to be awake right now. Humans weren't creatures of the night, after all.

Despite her best efforts, Sunny relaxed into the couch. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of raindrops hitting the window until they became background noise.

Slowly, as her head dipped to rest against the windowpane, the quiet pattering of rain faded away altogether.

* * *

 **Hey, it's been a while! I have some free time these next few weeks, so I wanted to make a bit of progress on this.**

 **I actually have a Tumblr now (username: theautumnenthusiast), and I want to branch out in the fandom beyond this story. If you have any short requests, send me an ask!**

 **Thank you all so much for reading!**


	8. Coping Mechanisms

Sunny yawned and turned over in bed. It was seven-thirty at night, so she should be getting out of bed now. If she wasn't up soon, Ruki would get cross and send one of his brothers to fetch her, and she hated when he was cross. She threw on the first shirt and pair of pants that she touched, swatted her hair into submission, and left for the dining room, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

It had been a week and a half since Azusa found her on the locker room floor, and Sunny was slowly adjusting to life in the Mukami's mansion. Don't talk back. Don't go into the garden without a chaperone. Don't talk to Azusa. And, for the love of all things holy, don't make Ruki mad. The brothers ignored her for the most part, which was both a blessing and a curse. She was as chipper as she could be in a situation like this, but in the back of her mind she knew Yui was getting the brunt of everything by the bags under her eyes and translucent quality of her skin. That knowledge kept Sunny from being content.

If she remembered correctly, today was a Kou day. The brothers didn't trust either of them alone in the mansion, so they would swap watch duties and have someone stay behind to babysit. Sunny liked Kou days the most. He was in advanced classes and had to balance his studies with idol work, so he spent most of his time catching up on classwork in his room.

Yuma "asked" her to help out in the garden on his days, and Sunny kept close to Yui's side on Azusa days at Ruki's request.

On Ruki days, she'd tidy up around her room and pace anxiously, waiting for his brothers to return so she and Yui wouldn't be the only ones in the house with him. On some nights, Sunny would wake with a jolt, the feeling of his hands still fresh against her throat.

But today was a Kou day. She could eat "breakfast" with the brothers before class and go straight back to bed.

Sunny slept a lot these days. She couldn't concentrate on books when she tried to start one in the library, and what else was there to do, really? If she wanted to go for a run or do anything else, really, she had to get Ruki's permission first, and she avoided him at all costs. Sunny knew that sleeping most of the day was awful for her, but she didn't care. She was exhausted all the time, so what did it matter?

She pulled a chair away from the table and twiddled her thumbs, eyes tracing the patterns in their placemats. Food didn't sound very appetizing right now, but she didn't have much of a choice. One time, she served herself a smaller portion than Ruki deemed acceptable, and afterwards he told her that he'd gladly force feed her if she was struggling to eat. Sunny choked down larger servings after that.

The door creaked as someone entered the room, and Sunny clenched her fork in her hand. Azusa sat down across from her.

"You look… tense…" he noted, fidgeting with his tablecloth to get it perfectly centered in front of him. "Do you… hate me, Sunny?"

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"I asked Kou why… you were avoiding me." Azusa kept fiddling. It seemed the tablecloth was never just how he liked it. "He said… girls… do that when they don't like a person."

"I don't hate you, Azusa." Sunny sighed, putting her fork down parallel to her place mat. It wasn't a lie, even if she definitely was avoiding him and they both knew that. She couldn't tell him the real reason she left rooms when he entered them.

"Then… why…?" He had such gorgeous eyes. Sunny hated seeing him look so sad.

"It's not you, Azusa. I just… don't… feel comfortable around you guys. You _did_ kidnap me."

"You're… afraid of me?"

"I… um… a little bit?" She owed him _some_ level of honesty. "It's more that I'm trying to be cautious with you all. Like I said, it's not you."

"Okay…" The boy stared down at the table, frowning. He didn't look like he believed her, but it was the closest thing to the truth that she could give him.

"Yeesh, what's with _this_ atmosphere?" Kou asked, plopping into the seat next to Azusa and ruffling his brother's hair. "Did she reject you or something? I wouldn't worry about it if I were you; she isn't that big a catch anyway. Cheer up, Azusa!"

Sunny wrinkled her nose and kicked his chair under the table. "Rude."

"Oh, and kicking my chair isn't?" Kou asked, grinning. "See, Azusa? You don't need to chase after such a violent stray cat."

"I wouldn't mind… being kicked…"

"Hey, no! That's not what I was getting at!"

Sunny was glad to have Kou here. His cheerfulness brightened up whatever room he was in it, and, more importantly, he knew how to defuse Ruki and Yuma when they got upset with her. Kou was just a fun person to be around. She missed him when he went away on weekend trips. That said, she still wasn't comfortable enough with any of the brothers to ask to borrow his laptop.

Yui entered with Yuma, holding a basket of raspberries from the garden and looking rather pale. She shot the girl a sympathetic look, knowing full well that work time with Garden Overlord Yuma Mukami could be the absolute worst. Yui set the raspberries down in the middle of the table and sat next to her, putting Sunny between her and the rest of the brothers. Given she was their main target, Sunny didn't mind serving as her barricade every now and again. It was the least she could do.

Ruki entered with a plate of eggs, bread, and tomatoes, and the ritual began.

Kou reached to grab the plate of eggs, ignoring a glare from Ruki, and shoveled four of them onto his plate. Yuma loudly objected to his brother's eating habits and dragged the plate away from him in an attempt to give everyone a portion before Kou gobbled down his first plate and went for seconds.

Meal times almost made her forget she was living with vampires. Almost. Yui picked at her plate next to her, flinching every time Yuma raised his voice. Under the table, Sunny rested her foot on top of Yui's and gave her a smile. Yui forced the corners of her lips up.

"Br'kfast's d'licious today, Ruki!" Kou said, stuffing a piece of toast in his mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ruki scolded. "One of these days, you're going to choke on your food if you eat that quickly. You don't even have class today."

"Sorry, Ruki."

"Hey, Azusa hasn't had a single piece of toast yet!" Yuma swatted the blond's hand away from the plate. "Do any of you guys want seconds before this guy inhales the whole plate?"

"I want one…" Azusa murmured as Sunny and Yui shook their heads. Yuma passed the plate, and the rest of breakfast was quieter as Kou was too busy shoving food into his mouth to talk. Ruki, Yuma, and Azusa chatted about class. Sunny wished they wouldn't do that. _She_ was supposed to be in class. She had missed an exam last week!

The brothers finished, and Ruki cleared the table. Sunny left straight away, as he didn't like it when she touched anything in the house. She could see it in the way his lips pressed together whenever she walked into the library or the kitchen… or _anywhere_ , really. It didn't matter. Breakfast was over, and as soon as they went off to class, she could rest in peace. Well, not quite. She had something she needed to to first.

"Hey, Yui, you doing okay?" she asked, jogging to catch up with her friend as she evacuated. "You look kinda pale today."

"I'm fine." Yui smiled in a way that didn't reach her eyes. "It's just… anemia. Kou was nasty when he got back yesterday."

"Huh, really?" Sunny was a bit taken aback by Yui's explanation. Kou, nasty? Sure, he made mean jokes every once in a while, but they were jokes and she'd take mean jokes over Yuma yelling at her over tomatoes any day of the week. "He seems so nice, though…"

"He really does. You've never seen him angry before?"

"No, I haven't…" How much did this girl go through here? Their experiences were so different even under the same roof. Sunny stared down at her shoes, guilt bubbling in her stomach. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize," Yui said. "I'm glad they aren't hurting you, and it's nice having a friend."

"I know, but-"

"No buts!" She pressed a finger to Sunny's lips. "I've been dealing with vampires for months now! If I can handle living with Laito and Kanato for half a year, I can survive anything."

"You have a point," Sunny laughed. Now that they were out of the Sakamaki mansion, they could bad talk the brothers all they wanted, and the girls took almost every opportunity they could get. "I'm more impressed you didn't lose it with Reiji breathing down your neck, though!"

"Mmhm," Yui hummed, staring off into the distance. "What're you planning to do today?"

"Honestly? I was going to take a nap. I'm exhausted."

"Are _you_ doing alright? You've been sleeping an awful lot lately…"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… bored."

"Okay…" Yui trailed off, looking skeptical. "Feel free to let me know if anything's bothering you. You can always talk to me."

Damn it, Yui was so observant with her. "Will do. You should get some rest, too."

"Yup! I'm going to finish that book today!"

"Alright, have fun with that! See you later, Yui. Take care." Sunny said, smiling as she closed her bedroom door behind her. It fell off her face once the wood obscured Yui from view. Honestly. She shouldn't be this tired. The Mukamis weren't constantly sucking _her_ blood. And yet… Sunny was exhausted all the time, like there was something black hanging over her head. Maybe it was the boredom.

She should find Yui and read with her later today. Yeah. That was a good plan. She'd aim for at least two chapters. Start small and work up from there.

Sunny collapsed into her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

She woke to a thunderclap just outside her window. Rain hammered against the pane in gusts, and lightning flashed. Normally, she liked thunderstorms, but here? They creeped her out. She should really take Yui up on that offer. Sunny walked out into the hallway.

With almost everyone gone, the house was pitch black. She flipped the light switch, but it seemed the power was out. Fantastic. Sunny jogged over to Sunny's room and was disgusted by how out of breath she was when she reached it. She was noticeably getting out of shape.

"Yui?" Sunny called to her friend, knocking on the door. "Are you there?"

No reply. Maybe she was in the library. Sunny made her way downstairs and stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the scream. She recognized that voice.

"Yui? Yui!" She ran down the hallway, opening doors as she went and listening for another sound. Thunder crashed, and she ran into a table. The decorative vase sitting on top fell to the ground and shattered, but Sunny didn't even take notice. Yui was in trouble. She needed to find her.

Sunny opened the door to a bedroom. She turned to leave, but stopped when she heard sobs coming from inside. Was this… Kou's room? Nervously, she padded inside, letting the door shut behind her. Where was Yui?

"Sunny!" a voice called to her. She whipped around and finally spotted Yui. The poor girl had her hands tied to the railing of Kou's balcony… _outside_. In the rain. Still, she looked more horrified to see _her_ than anything else. Her voice was muffled through the window, but she could still make out her words. "Sunny, you need to get out of here!"

"Are you nuts? I'm getting you out of there!" Sunny said, opening the window. A blast of cold, wet air smacked her in the face. "You can't be outside in weather like this!"

"Kou will come back," Yui cried. "He'll come back and see you helping me. _Please_ , Sunny!"

"I can't leave you like this." Sunny reached up to untie Yui. Kou had used a fucking _rope_ to do it, and some damned good knots. "You're going to be okay, Yui."

"Well, isn't this sweet?" a voice said behind her. Yui screamed, and Sunny whipped around to face Kou.

"Please, Kou! Leave her alone!" Yui begged.

"Leave _me_ alone? _You're_ the one stuck out here!" Sunny snapped, frustrated Yui would defend her first in a time like this. "Why did you tie her up, Kou?"

"The masochistic kitten was being cheeky, so I decided she needed to be taught a lesson," Kou giggled. Did he realize that he sounded absolutely psychotic?

"This is too cruel…" Sunny said to herself, returning to the knots.

"Oh, you think _you_ get to decide when her punishment is over?" Kou asked. Yui shrieked, and Sunny winced as he fisted her hair and dragged her toward him. "I knew you were bold, stray cat, but I can't let you walk around like you own the place. Seems you need to learn some boundaries yourself."

"Kou, stop! This is all my fault for being rude to you."

The blond paused, pursing his lips as he studied Yui. "You're pretty fond of this girl, aren't you, Eve?"

Sunny and Yui both caught onto his train of thought at the exact same time. "Hey, no… leave Sunny out of this! Please!"

Kou dragged her back into his room by her hair, humming as he ignored Yui's cries. Sunny tried to resist. "This really isn't necessary. We won't upset you again. Seriously!"

He shut the windows behind them, and Yui's cries were softened by the glass separating them. "Kou, seriously. This isn't like you. Why are you doing this? Please, stop!"

She was babbling and everything was falling on deaf ears. Kou threw her onto his bed and crawled on top of her before she could get away from him. "Let's put on a good little show for your friend, huh?"

"Kou please stop oh my god you're scaring me," she begged, painfully aware of him sitting on top of her as his weight pressed her front into the mattress. "Stop it!"

"Honestly," Kou tutted, gripping her chin with his hand. "Collaborations are fun! You should be grateful I'm letting you in on this."

Sunny bit down on his hand and didn't let go even after she tasted blood. Above her, Kou hissed. He pressed her face into a pillow with his free hand, but she wasn't about to let go, and when that didn't work he leaned down, slowly, until his lips were at her ear. "If you keep this up, I'll _break_ you. We don't need you unharmed, you know."

She didn't want to know what his idea of breaking entailed, so Sunny released his hand. Kou giggled above her. "That's a good girl. Now… let's get started. Scream for me."

Was this really happening? Was this really the same Kou that stood up to Reiji for her? Sunny pressed her face into the pillow and sobbed. Kou tsked. "That won't do. She won't be able to hear that. Hmm… how about…"

The weight on top of her disappeared, and Sunny tried to scramble away from him, but Kou grabbed her around the waist and flipped her onto her back, straddling her hips. A flash of lightning illuminated the room. Kou's eyes practically sparkled in the blue light, but Sunny was more concerned with the contented smile on his face. He leaned down at his own languid pace, and she froze, unable to do anything but trace his form as it approached her in the darkness.

Thunder crashed, and she startled. Outside the window, Yui screamed, and the sound brought her back. "Kou," she whispered, shifting underneath him. "Kou, please. Yui can't be outside in weather like this. We need to get her off of your balcony."

"That's a nice face you're making," he said, fisting her hair. "We can work with that."

He forced her to turn her head so she was looking at the window. His body, pressed against hers, pinned one of her hands between them, and he secured the other by grabbing her wrist. Sunny squinted, trying to find Yui in the darkness and seeing nothing. She couldn't hear anything over the rain.

His lips brushed against her neck, but she couldn't move. Yui was outside in the middle of a fucking thunderstorm and she couldn't _move_. What kind of friend was she? Sunny didn't want to be a way for him to torment Yui, but she was too weak to do anything about it. Weak, pathetic, and _useless_. Worthless to them _and_ to Yui.

"Kou, listen to me. _Please_ ," she said, running her mouth in desperation. "I know you don't care about me, and I understand why you don't, but I know you guys _do_ care about Yui, and you can't leave her out there! It's freezing outside and she's probably terrified and she could catch a cold if she stays there and if you don't care about any of those things you _should_!"

"And why is that?" Kou's hand left her hair, and when she twisted to look at him, his face was a few centimeters away from hers. Their noses practically touched.

"Because it's _wrong_ to do this to someone," she cried, horrified that he would even ask that question. "But you wouldn't know about that, would you? Of course you don't. Why… why would I even _ask_ that? You don't know what it's like to feel like… _this_! Do you? I'm _scared_ , Kou. I'm scared _all the time_. I'm sure Yui is too! And it feels fucking _awful_ to feel like this!"

Tears rolled down the cheeks, but she couldn't stop talking even through the disgusting sobbing. "But… you don't care, do you? It doesn't matter to you guys because you're strong and we aren't so you don't have to think about it. Because you'll never know what it's like to feel like this, so you don't fucking care enough to put yourselves in our shoes for _five fucking seconds_ and think - just once! - 'maybe I shouldn't do this' before you tie someone up on the fucking balcony or make them sleep in your bed in lingerie or kiss them without their permission or… _or_ …!"

 _Or pin them down to suck their blood._ Sunny stared up at him, chest heaving. She'd crossed too many lines in telling him off. "I'm sorry. I'm… I'm just so _scared_ right now. I'm really sorry. Please, Kou… let Yui go. _Please_."

Sunny trembled beneath him, too terrified to look away from his face. Yui was silent outside. She still couldn't read his facial expression, but he wasn't happy judging the way his hand was squeezing her wrist. Not that she was about to tell him that he was hurting her after that tirade.

They lay still for a moment, and Sunny tried to focus on the rain that hammered against his window and not the frantic beating of her heart.

"That was a nice show, stray cat," Kou laughed. Lightning struck again, and Sunny noticed that his eyes didn't match the rest of his smile. They were open too wide. He rolled off of her and sat at the edge of the bed, one leg crossed over the other. Sunny lay motionless, watching him as she rubbed her aching wrist.

"Well?" Kou snapped, his voice sounding hollow. "Aren't you going to get her?"

"S-sorry…" she stammered, finding it in her to crawl away from him. She stumbled on her way to the balcony, but made it to the windows despite her shaky legs. Yui lifted her head as she approached, eyes wide. Sunny put a hand on the girl's shoulder, and winced when Yui started bawling. "It's okay, Yui. I'm here. You're going to be okay."

Her words were empty. They both knew that. Untying the knots took longer than it should have, as Sunny's hands were shaking too much to properly grasp the rope.

* * *

Dinner was quieter that night. Neither Kou nor Yui showed up for it. Sunny pushed food around on her plate, tuning out the conversation Yuma and Ruki were having. Across from her, Azusa pulled at his bandages, frowning.

"Don't waste the food, Sow," Yuma finally spoke to her, glaring at what was still on her plate.

Sunny shoveled some food into her mouth, tasting nothing. "Sorry."

Ruki glared at her. "Don't speak with your mouth full." He paused for a second, eyeing Kou's empty seat. "It's unusual for him to skip a meal."

"No kidding," Yuma snorted. "And where's the other sow?

"Eve said… she wasn't feeling well…" Azusa murmured. Well, duh. Yui could be coming down with fucking pneumonia after staying out in that storm. She'd looked awful when Sunny left her room to go to dinner.

"Did something happen today, Livestock?" Ruki asked.

Sunny wanted to scream at them for all their stupid, derogatory nicknames, but knew that doing so would be unwise. Her nose still wrinkled, betraying her frustration to them. "Today wasn't fun. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Did 'ya punch him in his pretty-boy face or somethin'?" Yuma asked.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!"

"Hey, hey!" Kou said, cheerfully, as he entered the dining room. "Did you guys save anything for me?"

"Yes, but it's cold by now." Ruki studied his brother, frowning. "It's rare to see you late to a meal."

"Yeah, I dozed off doing schoolwork." The blond scooped an enormous pile of rice onto his plate and smothered it in the fish and vegetables Ruki had prepared, the friendly smile she was familiar with glued to his face all the while. "Not used to days off, I guess."

"They're good every once in a while."

"Yeah, I guess." Kou took a massive bite of fish, and Sunny watched him out of the corner of her eye as she ate what she could. She knew she hadn't fucking imagined what happened in his room earlier that night, but he was a completely different person now. Did his fans know that he could act like he had?

"Is it alright if I bring Yui a plate of whatever Kou doesn't eat?" Sunny asked as Kou served himself yet another portion of fish.

"If she doesn't attend dinner, she doesn't eat," Ruki stated.

"Her not showing up just means Azusa can eat somethin' for once," Yuma added, glaring at Kou.

"Whaaaat? Azusa ate plenty tonight. Look at his plate!"

"Look at his _arms_! He's a fuckin' twig!"

"I'm… fine, guys."

The rest of dinner was so goddamned _normal_ for the Mukamis. Kou acted as if nothing had happened, which infuriated Sunny beyond belief. She'd just spent the entire day with Yui, consoling her and keeping watch by her door as she took a much-needed bath. Yui was fucking beside herself, and Kou was here acting like nothing had happened.

When Ruki cleared their places, she hurried out of the dining room, unable to look at any of them.

It was time for her to take a bath herself. She hadn't changed out of her wet clothes yet, as she'd spent her day with Yui, and a hot bath was long overdue. Normally, she didn't like bathing when all four brothers were around, but she'd make an exception for today. Sunny eyed the sign she made for bath time, a sticky note that just said "please knock" that she stuck to her bathroom door in hope that she would get a half-hour of privacy. What a joke. She put it up anyway.

Sunny looked in the mirror as she peeled off the bandages on her neck. The remnants from where Subaru mauled her were healing, but slowly, scabbed over and baby pink. Yuma's marks were still darker, but even they weren't as pronounced as they had been a few days ago. If she ever did get back to school, there was nothing that couldn't be covered up with a scarf or some foundation. If she wanted to, she could still return to a normal life. She had to keep optimistic about something.

Water filled the tub. Sunny locked the bathroom door (a useless precaution) and stripped out of her clothes as quickly as she could, not daring to look in the mirror after a week and a half without runs. She wrapped a towel around herself and poked her hand in the tub, testing its temperature. The hotter the water was, the more the bathroom mirror steamed up. Sunny liked her baths as close to scalding as she could get them.

"I knew it…" A familiar, soft voice spoke behind her. "You _are_ like me."

Sunny gasped and spun around to face Azusa. He was smiling for once, lips parting to reveal sharp canines. She restrained herself from throwing something at Azusa, as she knew based on his actions and how his brothers treated him that he wasn't the best at reading social cues… or sticky notes, apparently. "Azusa… what are you doing here?"

"I asked Yuma… about what I should do to… make you hate me less," Azusa explained, twisting his bandages and shifting from foot to foot as he spoke. "He said… I should confront you about it."

"He told you to… talk to me?" Weren't the Mukamis trying to keep them apart from one another at all costs?

"Well… I didn't say it was about you, specifically." That cleared things up. Knowing Yuma, Sunny hoped that "confront her" was as much advice as he had given. "I told him that… you thought I was scary, and he said… that I wasn't. Was that… not the truth, Sunny?"

Didn't Yuma realize that what he, a massive vampire, and she, a short girl, found scary… _might_ be different? What the hell kind of shitty advice was he giving his brother? "I wasn't lying. I don't know you as well as I know Yuma, so our opinions of you are probably different."

Azusa perked up. "So… if you got to know me better…"

Shit! _No_! That wasn't what she'd meant to imply! Rejecting him outright might put her in a dangerous position, though, and she didn't want every vampire in the mansion to hate her. "You could be right about that… but…"

"Can I show you… something special to me?" Azusa asked, looking brighter than she'd ever seen him before.

"Um, sure," Sunny said. Right after I put on some clothes. Azusa took her by the hand and led her down the hallway before she could make out the qualifier. She flinched at his touch, but followed without complaint. One of his brothers would notice them before anything bad happened, right? He didn't strike her as being malicious anyway.

The boy stopped outside a room she hadn't entered before (truthfully, she hadn't explored most of the mansion yet), and took her inside. It was a bedroom. Sunny began to tremble even before she saw the cabinet of knives.

"This is… my collection." Azusa gestured to the cabinet, looking less and less harmless to her by the second. "I think they're… very pretty. Don't you?"

Sunny calculated the distance between him and herself and the knives and the door and decided she wouldn't make it out if she ran for it. "Y-yeah, they're nice."

Azusa pointed to a knife with a maroon handle that looked like it could slice a single hair down the middle. "I got this one in… Kyoto when I went to see one of Kou's concerts. I ordered this one online last year. This one was a gift from… someone very important to me."

"Oh, really?" She could barely form the words. "Who's that?"

"He was the one that… that…" Azusa paused, lost in his own little world as he stared at the dagger. "He found us when…"

He touched the glass, muttering words that she couldn't hear in a language she didn't understand. Now would be an _excellent_ time to get out of here, Sunny realized. She took a single step back, and Azusa jumped, startled out of his trance by the movement. "Ah… sorry. I'd rather not… tell you. I hope that's okay…"

"It's fine, don't worry!" she squeaked, plan foiled. "You have a very nice collection, Azusa!"

"Wouldn't you… like a closer look?" he asked, removing the pane of glass.

No, she absolutely would _not_ like a closer look! Despite her better judgment, she inched toward the cabinet, too afraid to deny him her attention. The knives were even scarier up close. Most of them were too colorful for her liking, but a single silver knife with a wooden handle and writing on its pristine blade caught her eye. Azusa followed her gaze.

"Ah… do you like this one?" He plucked the knife out and folded her hand around it. "I got it in… Tokyo. It's a wonderful knife. Very sharp…"

Now that it was in her hands, she could see that. The knife gleamed in her hand, reflecting her wide eyes in its blade. She traced her fingers along the dull edge. "It's beautiful."

"Would you like to use it…?" he asked.

"What…?" Sunny stared at him, unable to read his expression. He reached out and took her left hand in his, turning her arm so the soft flesh of her wrist face up, revealing the neat, parallel pink lines.

"They're so faded…" he murmured. "You haven't had access to a blade… have you? It's sad..."

"That's okay, Azusa!" Was he suggesting she do that… here? _Now_? "It's uh… really not something I do around other people! Nothing against you!"

"Oh… you're shy about it…" Azusa's hands closed around hers, and he brought it over so the blade pressed against his shoulder. Sunny crushed her free hand to her chest, partly to hold the towel in place and partly to try and muffle her racing heart. "That's okay, we can… go slowly. You can hurt me first."

"I don't want to hurt you," she whispered. "Please… let go."

Azusa frowned, pain clear in his eyes. "Do you… hate me that much?"

She shook her head, aware that her breaths were getting shallower. "It's not because I hate you. I just don't want to hurt you. Why are you doing this?"

"But… you do like it, don't you? The way it feels… you're so careful with yours, Sunny… don't you like how they look? The colors of it…? Doesn't it feel _right_?"

Her mouth went dry. "I… I…"

"I just want… to feel that with you…" Azusa said, giving her hand a squeeze. "If you're scared, I'll help…"

He applied pressure to her hand, and Sunny looked away as he dragged it down, slowly, in an unwavering line. When he finally let go of her hand, finally, the knife clattered to the floor. Sunny stared at it, unable to look at what they'd created.

"I'm happy, Sunny…" Azusa said, leaning down to pick up the blade. "See? There's nothing to be afraid of… I'll give you one, now…"

She jumped at his assertion and grimaced as she saw the line of red above his collarbone. "No, really, Azusa, I'm fine! You don't need to do this!"

"It wouldn't be fair if I didn't…" he said, grabbing her hand again. "Don't worry, I won't ruin… what you've done…"

Sunny couldn't fight him off because the stupid fucking towel might fall off, and she couldn't scream for help because she'd already hurt him and the other Mukamis would be upset with her if they saw them now. What the actual hell was she supposed to do?

Azusa rested the knife on her wrist, frowned, and made a minuscule adjustment so the blade was exactly how he liked it. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't fucking _breathe_!

She barely even felt the knife cleave her skin, it was so sharp. Nothing like the cheap razors she was accustomed to. Her bottom lip quivered, and she bit it to fight back the tears. Beads of red formed in the slit and spilled over. Azusa smiled. "You look so… pretty like this…"

Like she wanted to be _complimented_ right now! Sunny felt dizzy. She gasped for air and backpedaled when he released her hand, stopping to sit down when she reached his bed. This was fucking _insane_. The blood ran down her arm and dripped onto the towel. Sunny watched the pool spread, breathing in shaky gasps.

Azusa sat down next to her and mopped the trail up with his thumb. He licked the blood from his fingers, staring pensively at the cabinet, and then he snaked his hand overtop hers, interlocking their fingers.

"That was… nice…" he said after what felt like an eternity, back from whatever far-off place he'd been to rest his head on her shoulder. "I really… like you, Sunny. I hope you like me, too."

Sunny sure as hell didn't like what the fuck had just happened, but… she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Nothing he had just done was malicious or mean-spirited. Just… misguided. _Incredibly_ misguided.

She couldn't bring herself to agree with him. "Can we… um… not do this anymore? Please?"

His hand tightened around hers. "Why not…? Didn't you like it?"

She clenched her teeth and shook her head. "I didn't. But… that doesn't mean I don't like you, Azusa. Does that make sense to you?"

"No… I don't understand," he muttered. His brows furrowed. She could practically see the gears turning in his head. "Eve likes it when… when…" He pressed his lips together, deep in thought. "I could… bite you…"

 _Fuck_. Sunny jolted away from him, but Azusa pulled her back onto the bed and sprawled her out beneath him. The towel miraculously held, but she didn't have any time to be relieved by that as Azusa cupped her cheek with an icy hand. "I'll make it feel good… for you."

"N-no, don't!" she begged. His hand was still laced around hers, and she squeezed it as he secured the other one by grabbing her arm below where he'd cut and pressing it into the mattress. Sunny babbled at him, pleading with him to stop, to get off her, to let her at least _change_ first, but Azusa ignored her, trailing a few kisses down her neck as he murmured reassuring words she didn't care to listen to in her ear. Holy fuck. She felt his fangs brush against her neck and _finally_ found the strength she needed to scream.

"Azusa. Get off of her."

Ruki stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, looking even more displeased with her than he normally did. Sunny didn't care. He might as well have been sporting angel wings and a halo. Azusa rolled away from her, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Ruki… did I forget to close the door again?"

"Yes, but I also wish to talk to her. Alone." Ruki said. Sunny cringed at his tone, and even Azusa shifted uncomfortably. Ruki noticed Azusa's posture, and his expression softened a bit, to Sunny's relief. "Don't worry about it, Azusa. Just be sure to clean up, alright?"

"Alright…" Azusa said, looking at the knife and droplets of blood on the floor like he hadn't noticed them before. As Azusa moved to collect his knife, Ruki approached the bed and scooped Sunny up in his arms. She frowned, but didn't dare say anything. He walked out of Azusa's room and waited until they were well out of earshot (for a human, at least) before speaking to her.

"You'll be sleeping in my room again tonight."

"I'm really sorry about Azusa, okay?" Sunny pleaded, not wanting to spend another night in his bed. One strangling was enough. "I tried to stay away from him."

"This isn't about Azusa," Ruki said. "Though I'm plenty disappointed in you for that. It's Kou. He told me he didn't want to have to watch the two of you on school days anymore. I don't suspect the other one is his reason for that."

"Kou wants out of watch duty?" Sunny asked, dumbfounded. "What did you tell him?"

"He'll still be staying back, but no more than once a week. _I_ will cover him on Friday." Ruki's tone made her shrink into herself. He glared down at her, lip curling. "Do you know what may have caused this?"

"I yelled at him," she confessed. "He deserved every word of it, though."

"Mmm. I don't care about whether or not he deserved it. I don't like having to deal with the consequences of your stupidity, Livestock."

"You don't have to. This is between the two of us."

"And do you think you will be the one to emerge on top of this little dispute? That's delusional." Ruki sneered at her. "You're sleeping in my room because I don't trust my brother to keep himself from retaliating out of frustration tonight. You'd be his first target."

"I can handle him myself."

"If you weren't of any use to us, I would let you. Unfortunately, you _do_ have some value as incentive for your friend to behave, so I cannot let you fend for yourself tonight, especially given how worthless you have proven your survival instincts are."

"That's… _urgh_." He was still carrying her and she was still wearing nothing but the goddamned towel, so she didn't want to snap at him. "I need to take a bath, though."

"I have a bathroom, you know."

"Oh, and you also have enough lingerie for me to wear, I'm sure," she sulked.

"I had a familiar fetch you pajamas from your dresser." The corners of his lips twitched. "Unless… you were suggesting you'd prefer a babydoll?"

"Ha-ha, very funny." He was making jokes. That had to mean they were making _some_ progress.

Ruki set her down in his room (it really hadn't been necessary for him to carry her the whole way, she had regained control of her jelly legs by about the halfway point) and locked the door behind them. Sunny frowned, but it wasn't like she had much of a say in what he did.

She scurried into the bathroom and filled the tub, locking the door behind her once the water heated up. Hopefully, he'd get the message. She decided she liked the smell of his bath products more than whatever he'd given her, so she used about a quarter of his shampoo bottle as a bubble bath substitute because, well, fuck him. After today, she'd earned a fucking bubble bath.

Sunny dried her hair with a clean towel - no blood stains - he'd left out for her (how much planning had he done for this?) and changed into her pajamas, smelling strongly of pine needles. She hoped it would irritate his nose (yes, she was _absolutely_ being childish). She padded into his room and crawled into his bed, relishing the expression on his face.

"How much shampoo did you use?" he asked, lip curling.

Sunny smiled smugly into his pillow. "Enough."

Ruki glared into his book, and Sunny exhaled as she rolled away from him, more relieved by his dismissal of her antics than she'd care to admit.

Happy to be smelling good and getting on his nerves and still in one piece after what she'd just pulled, Sunny rolled over in bed and closed her eyes, somehow more at ease now than she'd been in the last week.

It was telling that her idea of being at ease was "not in any immediate danger" nowadays, but whatever.

Sunny exhaled, pressed her face into her shared pillow, and closed her eyes.

* * *

 **Since I love all forms of feedback, I decided to create a poll for this story ^^**

 **It's pretty open-ended, and I wanted to know which characters you guys like seeing Sunny interact with. It gives me insight into my characterization, because I'm guessing y'all wouldn't like it if I portrayed anyone inaccurately, but it also allows me to see which character dynamics you guys like. I just thought it'd be fun.**

 **I'm trying to catch up on updates here, so wish me luck! Also, thanks for reading! Much love to you all!**


	9. Nightmares

_Jeannette came to pick her up from the airport with her parents. Sunny had called as soon as she bought the ticket at New Chitose, and they were waiting to pick her up when she flew into Derry's airport. They embraced and cried and kissed each other's cheeks. She was finally home, in Derry. She was home._

 _They held hands as they walked out of the airport, talking about the trebuchet J.J. had been working on and Maira's work at the police station. Everything felt natural and good and she was home and there were no vampires and she was safe._

 _"By the way… who's this?" J.J. asked when they got to the lot, opening the car door. Sunny looked inside and saw Yui. Except Yui's eyes were glazed over and her head was at a funny angle. She froze on the spot. Of course. She'd left Yui in Japan like the useless friend she was. Yui turned her entire body to look at her because she couldn't move her neck._

 _The world started to melt around them._

 _"Why did you leave me behind?" It was an accusation, not a question._

 _"I'm sorry… I didn't want to…" Sunny pleaded with the girl. "There were no other options. I'm sorry."_

 _"If you didn't make all those mistakes, you wouldn't have to apologize for anything," Yui hissed. Sunny couldn't move or speak. A hand grabbed her shoulder._

 _Sunny turned around just as J.J.'s body crumbled to the ground. The Mukamis stood above her, eyes glowing. She couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening._

 _"Did you really think you could get away, livestock?" Ruki asked. "_ You _?"_

 _His hand shot out and grabbed hold of her neck._

* * *

Sunny jolted awake from yet another dream that put her in a cold sweat and left her clutching at her neck. At least, she _would_ be clutching at her neck if she had the mobility to do so. Something caged her in, restricting her movement and making breathing difficult by squeezing her to the point where her ribs ached. Whatever it was groaned behind her, and she felt the vibration and a wetness in the fabric against her shoulder.

Was Ruki having another nightmare? What the fuck did vampires have to be scared about, anyway?

Another noise, this one sounding like a sob, came from behind her, confirming her suspicions. Ruki was crying in his sleep again. Sunny didn't want a repeat of the last time this had happened, but… again, he seemed miserable from what she could hear, and, well, this time she had a stake in the game. His embrace _hurt_.

"Ruki." She nudged his leg with hers. "You're hurting me. _Ruki_. Wake up!"

He stopped making those pitiful noises, but didn't let go of her. Sunny took in another shaky breath. Her ribs rattled. "Ru-"

"I'm awake." His voice was hoarse.

"Can you please let go of me? This hurts."

Nothing changed. Sunny squirmed, trying to get into a more comfortable position. It was like trying to push away a brick wall. Her breathing was wheezy and shallow, and she wanted nothing more than to scream at him, but… what good would that do? For her _or_ for Ruki? She settled on scowling into the distance. He couldn't see her facial expression anyway.

"So… uh… is this like… a daily thing for you? The nightmares?" she asked when she couldn't take just lying there any longer. One of his fists clenched and unclenched, but he didn't respond, so she continued. "I'm going to take that as a yes. Do you… talk to anyone about them?"

"Are you incapable of staying silent for _five minutes_?" he hissed in her ear, giving her a squeeze. Sunny let out a pathetic squeak.

"Fine, fine, I'll be quiet! Just… if you don't feel comfortable telling your brothers anything… I know about them already, and you do have a captive audience right now."

She started counting down from three hundred, swearing she'd tell him off as soon as she hit zero. When the number passed, however, she found herself struggling to find the right words. Sunny tapped his hand instead. Ruki's arms loosened around her waist, and she let out a sigh of relief, twisting in his hold.

Sunny lay quietly for what felt like an eternity, playing statements she could make and his possible reactions to those statements over and over in her head. She needed to say something.

"If it makes you feel better, you're still fucking terrifying to me even if you have the nightmares." Go for a laugh with the guy that never laughed. _Brilliant_ , Specht.

"That isn't the issue."

Sunny waited for him to elaborate, only half-expecting him to do so, and scrunched her nose up when he didn't. "Is there… anything I can do to help?"

"I don't want your help."

"Is this a pride thing? It's really obnoxious."

"Quiet, Livestock."

Frustrated by the return of Ruki's demeaning nickname, Sunny tried to turn over in bed to glare at him. His arms held her in place. She didn't want to snap at him if her fingernails didn't have easy access to his face, so she huffed and tried to settle into something, _anything_ comfortable. He was too close and too cold. She didn't have the guts to tell him to shove off.

"Did you ever tell anyone about what you do to yourself?" Ruki asked, breaking the silence.

Well. _Him_ speaking first? That was a surprise. Sunny wet her lips with her tongue, grimacing. He finally initiated something with her, and _this_ was the conversation he wanted to have?

"No." Why would she? It would've just been a burden to the people she loved.

They deserved better.

She was already enough of a burden to them without them knowing. The parallel pink lines were just another token to add to the big pile of revolting garbage. "I know what you're trying to say, Ruki, but… they're different."

"Why?" Ruki pressed. Why did he want to talk to her _now_? About _this_?

"Maybe because you aren't a giant fucking mess?" Her throat was tight. "You guys have this nice goddamned house and you keep it clean and you cook meals for your brothers with the food from your fucking straight-out-of-a-catalogue garden and don't think I haven't seen the books you read, Ruki! You're _smart_ , damn it. Do you think your brothers are going to care about the fact that you have nightmares? That bad dreams are going to outweigh everything else about you? Nightmares aren't a big deal!"

Sunny held her breath after her outburst, worried that a release of air would reveal how shaky her breathing was. The awful feeling in her throat was trying to crawl into her mouth.

Ruki shifted behind her. "You don't know very much about me."

"Well, sorry for the glowing review. You're also a cold, smug piece of shit, but I still don't think that matters to your brothers even if _I_ hate you. Happy?"

"Elated. I was beginning to worry that you were getting too friendly with us."

A joke. The lump in her throat loosened. Maybe he was warming up to her. Lord above, his sense of humour was so dry that she could barely even tell he was trying to be funny. She could push him a bit farther. "No, but… do _you_ feel better?"

"You shouldn't concern yourself with me, Livestock. Have you ever heard of cattle worrying themselves with the well being of their masters? I find it insulting."

"Humans are a bit better with emotional stuff than the average _cow_ ," Sunny hissed, grinding her teeth. "I'm the one that should be insulted here! Cows can't even _speak_ , Ruki."

"And sometimes I'd prefer you didn't," Ruki said. Sunny wished she could see his face so she could have some hope of guessing whether or not he was joshing her with that remark. Something pressed into her shoulder. Ruki's hair tickled her ear. "Get some sleep."

She should really have countered his jab sooner. It was too late now.

Sunny relaxed her shoulders, sinking into the mattress and their shared pillow, and sighed. Afternoon sunshine trickled in through the windows as a reminder that she shouldn't be sleeping now to begin with. Still… it wasn't like he was going to let go of her any time soon, and there was nothing else she could do.

Her eyes drifted to Ruki's hands, which still clutched the fabric of her pajama top, white knuckles clear in the filtered sunlight. At least she didn't feel like crying anymore; his dry wit was good for something. She'd get to sleep eventually. She was exhausted from yesterday. She had to sleep.

Sunny watched the flecks of dust illuminated by the afternoon sun drift around for a long while before she finally drifted off.

* * *

It was eleven-thirty at night. Sunny shot upright and frantically whipped her head left and right, taking in her surroundings and gaping at the clock.

It was _Tuesday_! The Mukamis had class today, which meant that Ruki would have made breakfast for everyone before his brothers left for Ryoutei, right? Had no one come to get her because she was in Ruki's room? It didn't matter. Ruki was probably furious with her for skipping one of his meals.

Sunny caught a whiff of something strong and looked down at Ruki's bedside table. A plate of rice with some fish, a brown substance she didn't recognize, and a few slices of tomato sat next to a mug of tea on the surface. She recoiled, thinking he'd brought her a meal seasoned with cyanide before she noticed the slip of paper underneath the mug.

 _You looked tired, so I chose not to wake you for breakfast. I still expect you to eat all of what I brought you, and don't think this will become routine. Do not eat in my bed. See you at dinner._

Even his handwriting was perfect. His note looked like it could have been printed. The last sentence was somehow both ominous and reassuring at the same time. She had to look at him in seven hours' time, but then again… it was a near guarantee from him that she'd live another seven hours. She'd take what she could get with these guys.

Sunny grabbed the plate and tea and rushed out of his bedroom as quickly as she could without spilling on his carpet.

* * *

"Hey, Yuma, are the pumpkins ready?" Sunny asked, leaning against the second floor railing.

From the ground floor of the Mukami's grand living room, Yuma looked up at her, frowning. "Since when do you care about pumpkins? I thought 'ya hated working in the garden."

"It's October," Sunny said. Yuma's eyes narrowed, so she elaborated before he could get annoyed with her. "You know. Halloween-month. Happy first day of Halloween, by the way."

"That's… not how it works." He went back to his textbook. "Besides, they ain't ready yet."

"Will they be ready by Halloween?" Sunny pressed into the railing, which creaked under her weight. She could hear Yuma's sigh from a floor away.

"I don't fuckin' know, I don't speak pumpkin. They're for eating, anyway. Not for whatever arts-and-crafts bullshit I'm sure 'ya want to do with 'em."

" _Pleeease_ , Yuma?" Sunny begged, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes. "I'd only use one, and you still get the seeds and pulp when you carve pumpkins! I won't complain for the rest of the month when you ask me to help out!"

"If 'ya told me there'd be no complaints when I sucked y'er blood for the month, I might consider it."

"I'm not going to let you suck my blood for an entire month so you 'might' let me have _one_ pumpkin!" she said, glaring at him. "I shouldn't even have to ask! What kind of family doesn't carve pumpkins for Halloween, especially if they have an entire patch of them? This is absurd. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Responsibility is nothing to be ashamed of," Ruki spoke up from a couch, not even glancing up from his book to address Yuma's tyranny.

"I think… it could be fun… to carve a pumpkin," Azusa spoke in a quiet voice. Ruki and Yuma both turned to glare at her, and Sunny couldn't keep the grin off her face. She'd waited until Azusa was in the room with them for a reason; even vampires had soft spots.

"Maybe. We'll see what the harvest looks like." Ruki looked like he wanted to throw her over the railing, but she couldn't care less. Sunny beamed at the three brothers.

"Happy Halloween-month, guys!" she exclaimed, giddy with excitement. Yuma barked something about Halloween not being a month long holiday like the killjoy he was, but Sunny was already sprinting down the hallway away from them, heart ready to jump out of her chest. She giggled to herself as she ran, forcing away prickly thoughts about how slow she was.

"Yui!" she exclaimed as she ran the blonde's room. "Yui, I didn't get a hard no!"

The girl turned away from her mirror and set down her hairbrush. "I'm really glad to hear that!"

Sunny collapsed on Yui's bed and crushed a pillow to her chest, smiling from ear to ear. "I can't believe that didn't not work!"

Yui looked happy for her, but she was also paler than usual, with pronounced bags under her eyes. Her laugh sounded hollow. "I'm really glad."

"Don't worry! We'll be carving the whole patch by Halloween thirty-first!"

"You didn't call it that in front of them, did you?" she asked.

"Well, not exactly, but Yuma doesn't like that I call October Halloween-month."

Yui laughed, quietly. "You _are_ really into it."

"I love holidays. They're all so much fun!"

"I'm glad you got through to them… kind of," Yui said.

Sunny snorted and peeked at her from behind the pillow. Yui looked pale and weak and subdued today, but that wasn't too uncommon for her. She didn't know whether her being chipper about things made Yui's mood better or worse. Sunny could only hope that it was the former.

It had been a little over a week since Azusa and Kou had gone after her that one night. The Mukamis ignored her for the most part unless she was particularly unruly, which Sunny was perfectly fine with. Tonight would be Kou's first day staying back since she'd yelled at him, but the last week had been uneventful, so she wasn't really worried.

As good as it felt to watch the puncture wounds fade, Sunny knew that she was only getting off so easily because Yui was going through hell. The girl smiled and laughed and claimed that everything was fine, but Sunny could see through that, and Yui couldn't cover up the translucent quality of her skin or the bags under her eyes. Sunny was well off because Yui wasn't, and that tidbit of knowledge kept her awake some nights.

She stared out the window at the setting sun. Ruki would make dinner soon, and then he and Yuma and Azusa would leave, and then she could sleep or curl up with her book. She'd picked up _Heart of Darkness_ from the library because it was short and she had the attention span of a goldfish, and she'd been trudging through it page by page for the past several days. Whatever. There was nothing but time here as long as she stayed in line.

Sunny lay in Yui's bed grinning like an idiot until it was time to head downstairs.

* * *

Her bed shifted as a new weight plopped onto it. Startled, Sunny opened her eyes and sat up, blinking sleep out of her eyes. Yui didn't weigh that much.

"Hey, kitten!" Kou said, beaming at her.

Holy _fuck_. Sunny scooted away from him, heart hammering in her chest. Her gaze drifted from the clock (eleven-thirty, the others wouldn't be back for six hours), to his smile, to the bunch of orange flowers he held in one hand. What was he doing here? "H-hey, Kou."

"Oh, don't be so nervous!" Kou said, patting her on the shoulder (the force of it made her wince). "You know about everything, right? Ruki's being veee~ery protective of you! He says I can't kill you or break you or anything."

There were lots of unpleasant things he could do that didn't involve killing or breaking her! Sunny hugged her arms to her chest and stared at him, too afraid to ask about his intentions. He was here for something. He wouldn't visit her otherwise. He wouldn't have picked the handful of flowers otherwise.

"I brought you these. Ta-da!" Kou exclaimed, handing her the flowers.

"Thank you…" Sunny murmured. Was he… apologizing to her?

"They're pretty, aren't they? Chrysanthemums are actually the imperial seal of Japan, you know," Kou said. "There's a really nice festival for them down in Sapporo at the end of the month."

"Huh. I didn't know that." Sunny smiled weakly at him, thinking it was a bit cruel of him to mention the event. Festivals were fun, but it wasn't like they were going to let her go to one. Well… there was nothing she could do about it. She looked at the bunch of chrysanthemums and held them to her nose. The flowers had a subtle smell that she liked. And… they were really bright and cheerful. "They're really beautiful."

"I picked them because they reminded me of you," Kou said. She couldn't help but flinch as he reached out to twirl a strand of her hair in his fingers. He was still smiling. This was weird, really weird, but… fine, right? "Reddish orange is a really nice color. Oh, and look at this one!" Kou plucked a flower from the little bouquet and held it against her hair. "A perfect match!"

Her hair wasn't _nearly_ as bright as the chrysanthemum, but… the gesture was still sweet. "Thanks…"

His fingers were still woven into her hair. He brushed a few curls away from her face, and Sunny shivered at the contact. She was trembling and there was no way he hadn't noticed. "Maybe I'm laying it on a bit thick. They're cheerful flowers, though, and I really like them."

"I… I like them, too… I should go put them in a vase."

"Hey, hey, hold on," Kou said. The hand in her hair became a fist. "Are you trying to get away from me?"

"N-no!" she said, wincing as his grip pulled a few strands painfully taut.

"You can't lie to me, kitten," Kou giggled. He pointed to his bangs, which glowed a soft red on one side. "Magic eye. It comes in handy sometimes."

"Listen, Kou, I'm sorry I yelled at you last week." Of course she made the _one_ brother with the fucking magic truth-seeing eye mad. Of course!

"And are you sorry because you actually regret it… or because you don't want me to hurt you right now?" he asked. Sunny's mouth went dry, and Kou laughed again, louder and harsher this time. "It's okay, you don't need to answer that. I don't even need my eye to figure it out."

"Kou, if I had known that what I said would hurt you, I wouldn't have said it."

"Another lie." Kou sneered. "Really, kitten, you're just digging your own grave here. It's okay to want to hurt people when they're awful to you. I get it."

Sunny stood and backed up a few steps, clutching the flowers to her chest. His eyes followed her the entire way, but he didn't move. Thank goodness. "I… it's really not okay. I don't like hurting people in ways that… _actually_ hurt…"

"Hmm. You're telling the truth. That's no fun." Kou smiled dryly. "Why isn't retaliation okay to you?"

"I mean, petty things are fine sometimes, but…" She swallowed, trying to force down the lump in her throat. "If the way you hurt someone means a lot to them… or the retaliation stays with them… that wouldn't feel good. It'd make me feel… wrong. Gross."

"But… you do know that there are people that just like to see others suffer, yes? They look at a pretty little thing like you… and want to crush it between their fingers because they _can_ … and because hurting it is fun for them."

"That's a horribly pessimistic way of seeing people," Sunny whispered.

"It's true." Kou stood up and started walking toward her, slowly, like a cat preparing to pounce. Sunny's foot inched backwards, but she knew running wouldn't make a difference. He had all the power here. She could only try to defuse him… which was seeming like a less and less realistic goal by the second. "I've seen it myself, kitten. I was a pretty little thing once."

Her lip quivered. "But… no. That's…"

"We were human once. A long time ago," Kou hissed. "Seems you don't care to think about things like that before you run your mouth and make accusations, though."

"I didn't know." The words barely came out. Kou stopped just over an arm's length away from her. Oh, god. Breathing was getting difficult. "I'm so sorry, Kou."

"It doesn't really matter." He shrugged. "We got out of that place, and we're here and… those people… can't hurt me anymore. I'm different now. Not… _weak_." Kou stepped forward and snatched the bouquet from her hands. "Now… _I_ can have my pretty little things."

"Kou, please-"

"As much as I'd love to just-" He tore the bloom off of one of the flowers and shredded the poor chrysanthemum until the floor around him was covered in a thin layer of pedals. "-rip you to _pieces_ -" Kou put the flower he had held to her hair in his teeth. The rest of the bouquet fell to the ground and quickly disappeared under a dainty white boot. He ground the flowers into the carpet until they were unrecognizable before he raised his head, a crazed gleam in his eyes. She tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to spill over, and he twirled the lone remaining flower's stem in his fingers. "...Ruki says I can't. I can't crush you completely."

The blond's grin finally returned. "But… that's okay. Killing you would feel nice for a moment, but it'd be just that. A moment. Wouldn't it be more satisfying to pluck the petals off one by one and watch the flower _slooo~owly_ wither away in my hands?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you." It was all she could choke out. She couldn't breathe. Tears pooled in her eyes. "I'm sorry…"

Kou set the flower down on her bedside table and walked toward her. She was rooted to the spot. The carpet swam underneath her. "I don't doubt that you're a kind girl. In fact, I _know_ that you can be by how sweet you can be with Azusa and your masochistic friend." He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. Her vision was going dark. "But listen, kitten. You're picking the wrong side here. Defend your little human friend all you want, but… if you cross me again… I'll make you wish Ruki hadn't set any boundaries."

"I was desperate and scared," she whined. He applied pressure to her shoulders, and she tumbled to the ground. Kou crawled on top of her, red eye glowing again. Sunny used what was left of her air to squeak out one last plea. "Please, Kou… I don't want this."

"I know, I know," he cooed, pressing a finger to her lips. "But… pretty little things don't get to choose what they want."

His hands pinned her wrists to the ground, but it wouldn't have mattered. There was no way she would've fought back with him acting like this. Kou's blue eyes bored into hers, and, as the room darkened around them, they became the only thing she could see.

Her stomach churned as Kou leaned in, and the tears finally spilled over. She couldn't see or scream or even breathe. Sunny could have sworn she heard him giggling, but she didn't know for sure. The world was fading away, crumbling around her.

Sunny fainted seconds after his fangs punctured the skin of her neck.

* * *

She peeled herself off the floor hours later and crawled to her feet, using the bed as support. Her head spun, and she regretted having that second egg with breakfast, never wanting to think about food again. The skin of her neck stung as she let her head loll to the side to feel the bite marks. If she never heard his voice again, it would be too soon.

A spot of orange drew her attention to her bedside table. She didn't want to look, didn't _need_ to look to know, but it persistently stayed in the corner of her eye, a nuisance begging her to humour it with a glance.

She gave in and looked.

Next to the Conrad, mocking her from the vase Kou must have brought specially for the purpose, was the chrysanthemum, left perfectly, revoltingly untouched. A reminder and a warning.

Sunny stumbled into the bathroom and vomited until there was nothing left to throw up.

* * *

Another nightmare woke her at around one in the afternoon. She'd been running and running through the mansion at a crawl, opening doors that led to nowhere, looking for the exit. Looking for Yui. Anything. This time, however, the creature that followed behind had eyes of different pretty colors - one blue and one red.

She hadn't been fast enough. She never was.

The nightmares were getting old. So was going to dinner after dinner of the Mukamis acting like the only thing that mattered was Kou's manners while Yui withered away and she treaded on eggshells trying to survive.

Tonight had been slightly different. She'd made them all mad by hiding under the bed and swiping at Yuma with a stolen butter knife when he came to drag her to the dining room. Ruki told her he'd break her fingers if she tried it again. She didn't doubt that he would.

But still… the look on Yuma's face when he saw the (useless, dull) blade in her hand made everything worth it. The second before he materialized to the other side of the bed to drag her out by her ankle, when she had held something resembling power in her hand… that had made everything worth it.

And she had to put her foot down somewhere to preserve whatever dignity she had left, anyway. Maybe she could convince the Mukamis that sometimes a person needed time to themselves after an assault.

Or maybe they'd snap her neck.

Sunny wanted to go outside. Today was rainy and dreary, but she didn't care. She wanted out of the glass box, and she wanted it on her own terms and not because Yuma needed help pulling weeds in the garden. Ruki hadn't bought her any sort of coat, but she didn't care if she got wet today. This was her best chance to get a good look at Yuma's pumpkins without him breathing down her neck.

She crept through the hallways and through the entryway. A world of grey and cold met her when she opened the door. Everything was quiet save the pattering of raindrops against the Mukami's cobblestone driveway. That was nothing new. Volatile as life was here, it was mostly silence. Uncomfortable silence. She'd never heard birds in the morning or crickets at night at either mansion, almost like they avoided the places by instinct. She couldn't blame them.

The stones were chilly and wet against her sock feet as she padded over to Yuma's pumpkin patch. She knelt down and pushed a leaf back. None of the pumpkins were bright orange yet, but they were all decently-sized. How could Yuma be so stingy with them? If every pumpkin here were canned, the Mukamis could live off of them for like… a month. Maybe.

Well, even if she didn't get to carve any pumpkins this year, Ruki might make pumpkin soup, which was one of her favorites. She could try to compromise with them if absolutely necessary.

Sunny stood up, and a strip of familiar bright orange caught her eye. So this was where Kou had gotten his damned chrysanthemums. The flowers looked happier out here - less foreboding - in the rain, even if their blooms were never going to look the same to her ever again.

Something moved by the edge of the woods, and she startled, eyes darting to follow the object. What she saw confirmed her suspicions. The grey creature standing thirty meters away from her was too large to be a dog. She had seen a wolf that night, and now another one was prowling around the Mukami's yard! Was prowling the right word to use? Didn't the wolf belong to the Mukamis anyway?

This complicated things. Somehow, the Mukamis owning a wolf troubled her more than a dog would have. She could fight off a dog or two if it came down to it, but… a pack of wolves? The gears in Sunny's brain turned, shaking off dust. Why had the Mukamis brought her here in the first place if they had a yard full of wild dogs to keep Yui from escaping?

As Sunny mulled over her discovery, the wolf turned and ran into the woods. She exhaled in relief. It wouldn't eat her if she stayed within the yard itself. That was good to know. Now that she knew there was at least one wolf on the premises, however… studying Yuma's pumpkins didn't seem like a good idea anymore. She should go back inside.

"You're going to catch your death, kitten," Kou scolded.

Sunny spun around and tried to gauge his mood. He didn't seem angry with her, and it was difficult to imagine that the boy clad in a bright yellow raincoat holding a pink umbrella could be… dangerous, but…

"Sorry, I just wanted to… um…"

"I wouldn't get my hopes up about Yuma's pumpkins if I were you. Ruki cans a _loooot_ of vegetables every fall."

She gave up on wondering. It was making her antsy. "You aren't… mad… are you?"

"Right now?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Hm. I'm not happy about being outside in the daytime, but you weren't trying to run, so I don't have to report anything to Ruki. So… no, I guess?"

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Sunny fidgeted with her soaking wet sleeves and shifted from foot to foot, not daring to take her eyes off of him for a second.

Kou frowned. "You? No. I have nightmares a lot."

He certainly was… blunt. Sunny wasn't sure she wanted him to elaborate, even though she was curious. Was he trying to make her feel sorry for him with that admission? Whatever. It wasn't going to work on her, and she didn't hold back. "Oh. Me too."

It was hardly a veiled jab, and Kou caught on right away. "Have I been in one of yours yet?"

What good would lying do against him? "More than one."

He actually had the gall to giggle at her answer as he held his umbrella out over her head. This was so weird. He was a normal boy one minute and a fucking demon the next. "I'm flattered."

"Would you be okay with telling me what your nightmares are about?" Sunny pressed as they began walking towards the mansion together, hoping her curiosity wouldn't get her killed. If she didn't find some way to get him to warm up to her, she might end up dead anyway. "I know you… weren't treated well as a kid, but… by who? Your folks?"

"Oh, no, I never knew my parents! I grew up in the sewers. I um… eventually ended up in an orphanage, but times were a little bit different back then and I got sold off to a few different families."

"That's awful…" Sunny murmured. She'd been staring at the ground so she wouldn't have to look at him while he was so close, but his story drew her eyes to his. "I… I don't know what to say. I'm really sorry you had to go through that…"

"Oh, that's not all of it," Kou said with a chipper little laugh. "It gets worse."

"It… does?"

"The people that took me in never wanted me to do any chores for them. They… wanted me to suffer because I guess they were into that. My owners would beat me. Cut me with their knives. I was-"

" _Kou_." She cut him off by taking his hand and squeezing it. They both flinched - him because he hadn't been expecting it, apparently, and her due to the chill. "Why are you telling me this? Does it make you feel better?"

She knew what he was going to say before he said it. "No, not really. Why? Am I not allowed to tell you about myself?"

"You're allowed, but… I really don't like hearing you say it. It's… it hurts to hear."

"Why are you hurt by it? You didn't go through it. I did." Annoyance was creeping its way into his tone. She had to backtrack.

"I don't know, it's just-"

"You _do_ know," he insisted. His eye was glowing.

"It's empathy, Kou," she said, adverting her eyes. "You probably don't like hearing that, but… it's true." She clenched her fists and looked up, steeling herself. Kou looked calmer than he had a second ago. Hopefully, she'd get away with what she was about to do. "But… that's not really it. All of it, I mean. You… you didn't look like you enjoyed telling me. That's why I cut you off."

He stopped, eyes unfocused, and Sunny, not wanting to get any wetter than she already was, followed suit despite her better judgment. Kou stared off into the distance, looking at nothing. This was off-putting, definitely, but he didn't seem angry with her. Still. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I… uh… I'm curious about you guys, yeah, but… I don't want you to be uncomfortable answering any of my questions. Does that make sense? Maybe I'm just rambling-"

"Annoying. You're annoying." The hazy, almost dreamy look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a familiar sharpness that cut through her flesh and chilled her to the bone. " _You_? Worried about making _us_ uncomfortable? Do you really think you understand the way we think?"

There it was: the brick wall. The same _don't insult us by trying to help, you insignificant human_ baloney she'd heard from Yuma _and_ Ruki.

Heat rushed to Sunny's cheeks as a frustrated growl bubbled up in her throat. "You guys are so frustrating! You're the one that's been both a human and a vampire, right? So why don't _you_ tell _me_? When you became a vampire, did your perspective really change that much? Or is all this 'don't worry about me' bullshit just your guys' fucking _pride_ talking?"

Kou stared down at her, his lip curled in a sneer. She knew that she should stop talking, but… she couldn't. She was too afraid of the silence that followed her outbursts in which she had to gauge her chances of survival.

So she kept blathering like an idiot.

"Listen, Kou, let's say I _can't_ understand vampires! I still know you guys aren't perfect, and when I see someone struggling with something - even if that someone is one of you guys - I want to help, or at the very least not make things worse! Maybe you guys get insulted by me trying to help out every once in a while, but _I'm_ insulted by how you guys treat me like my perspective isn't worth shit to you! I just want to _help_ -"

"I don't care." Kou cut her off. "I don't care about what you want! Why is that _so fucking hard_ for you to understand?"

"I know you don't!" Sunny scooted out from under the umbrella, trying to read his expression for murderous intent. "I just… I don't get why that is."

"Because we're vampires. We. Aren't. _Human_!"

 _But… you were human once…_

Sunny bit her lip to keep the words from spilling out. Kou clearly wasn't in the mood to hear them. He glared at her, teeth clenched like feral dog's, leaning forward with his shoulders tensed. It was his expression, eyes wide in the same look he'd worn after her outburst the night of the storm, however, that sealed her lips.

Her shoulders hunched. "I know."

"Do you?" he hissed. His fists clenched and unclenched.

Sunny grimaced, averting her eyes. "Yes. I'm sorry for yelling at you again." She paused, wringing her hands out in front of her trying to build up courage. "Well, um… if you ever get desperate enough… you can let me know what you want." She winced, realizing he could twist her stupid words too easily. "I… I mean… I don't like seeing you upset." Kou's shoulders bunched up even further. "B-but that's partly because I don't… don't… I'm sorry - I really am - your mood affects me. I'm sorry. I'm not… making any sense."

 _I'm afraid you'll hurt me during one of your mood swings. That's why._

The unsaid words lay heavy on her tongue, but… it wasn't the whole truth, and if he found out, she was terrified she might not make it back inside with all her limbs attached. It felt like someone had put her thoughts in a blender. She couldn't form a coherent sentence.

The Mukamis didn't seem to care if she got upset with them unless she said something of consequence in her tirades, and she didn't want to say anything else of consequence.

Bluster gone entirely, Sunny trembled (acutely aware of Kou's aggressive stance) and wet her lips. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me."

Kou made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and shoved her, hard. She hit the ground and cried out, knowing the contact her hip made with the cobblestone would leave a nasty bruise. The blond stomped off and slammed the front door behind him.

Sunny reached up and clutched at her throat, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been keeping in.

He hadn't killed her. For a second, she'd been certain he would.

Rain pattered on the stones around her, but she was so wet now that she barely even registered the droplets soaking into her hair and clothes. Sunny shuffled to her feet and looked up to the low clouds passing by overhead, breathing in small gasps. She was alive.

It was funny, in a way. She'd been trying to get information out of them (the Mukamis and the Sakamakis) since she realized she was living with vampires, and now that one of them finally let her in she wished she could have remained ignorant.

Kou's past hardly absolved him of his present actions. In fact, it only made his treatment of her and Yui worse in her mind. How could he inflict the same abuse on them that he had experienced as a child and still show up to family dinners with a smile on his face? How did he fucking sleep at night?

Well, she knew the answer to that last question. He didn't. Not well, at least.

Sunny shivered and clawed at her sopping wet sleeves in a feeble attempt to find warmth. She didn't want to go back inside. She didn't want to look at Kou ever again. Or any of the brothers, for that matter. Not that she had much of a choice.

When her toes started to hurt from the cold, however, Sunny gave in, and plodded back into the mansion. She took the steps to the front door as slowly as she possibly could.

* * *

 **Happy Valentine's Day, guys! To celebrate, here's... a Kou-centric chapter. _Those_ are always fluffy and romantic. **

**Again, there's a character poll in my profile because I'm curious to see which characters you like seeing Sunny interact with. I just thought it would be fun. Feel free to check it out and leave your feedback either there or in a review!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! I hope to get Chapter 10 posted sometime in the next week.**


	10. Boiling Point

When Yuma came in to drop off a school uniform on her bed, Sunny thought it was some sort of cruel, elaborate joke.

"Umm. What's this for?" she asked, tugging at the ribbons gingerly, half-expecting there to be a spider or snake hidden in the folds of fabric.

Yuma rolled his eyes. "What d'ya think? Y'er goin' to school today, sow."

"…huh?" Sunny opened her mouth and closed it again as a million questions bounced around in her mind. "What about the Sakamakis?"

"We've been watchin' 'em for the last few weeks. They ain't gonna do shit."

"This is still super suspicious, though!" Sunny protested.

"Weren't 'ya complaining about bein' bored two days ago?" Yuma groaned, massaging his temples and scowling at her. "Put the damn thing on. We leave soon."

He stomped out of her room, leaving her dumbfounded.

Gingerly, she pinched the fabric between her fingers. The uniform was just as she remembered it, except… they hadn't given her anything to wear underneath. And she didn't even have any shorts. Today was going to be rough.

Everything was still the same size as it had been, but the skirt hung looser - much looser - around her waist. She'd lost some weight. It wasn't like the brothers had a scale here for her to use, so the difference in her waistline was an unexpected, unwelcome shock. Wouldn't cutting out the runs have evened out her change in diet? Sunny glanced in the mirror. She looked tired, more so than usual, but she couldn't see any _other_ differences.

At least the skirt was a bit longer now that it sat lower on her hips. That made things slightly better. Sunny buttoned up her top and tied her bows as she made her way to the kitchen. She needed to talk to Ruki about this.

He was making eggs like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. This could still be a joke for all she knew. "Hey, uh… Ruki? Are we really going with you guys to class today?"

"Yes." Sunny waited for him to expand upon his response, but Ruki continued poking at the eggs with his spatula as if there was nothing left to discuss.

She scrunched up her nose. "But… um… the Sakamakis."

"What about the Sakamakis?"

"Aren't you guys concerned they're going to take us back?"

"Not particularly." Ruki looked up from the stove and frowned at her. "You're concerned. Don't be. We have this under control."

"They um… we didn't exactly end on a good note, as I'm sure you guys know." Sunny was hesitant to bring up her concerns, but she _did_ have to sit behind Laito all day today, and she wanted to make sure he wouldn't stab her with a pencil or something.

"Kou is in your class. You aren't in any danger."

"Doesn't Kou hate me, though?" After everything that happened yesterday, there was no doubt in her mind that he did.

"Kou will protect you regardless of whether he likes you or not. I have given him very clear instructions."

"And what about Yui? None of you are in _her_ class."

"We have familiars for that. The Sakamakis are not going to attack either of you in front of twenty-plus witnesses. If you stay close to Kou, you'll be fine."

So she'd be stuck in a classroom with Kou and Laito for the entire day. It was Thursday and the weekend already couldn't come soon enough.

Ruki sighed as he flipped a few eggs. "Honestly. You should be grateful we're letting you outside."

"I'm happy for the change of pace, it's just…" Sunny began, wringing her hands out in front of her. "Just… I'm nervous, is all."

"You should have more faith in your masters, livestock," Ruki scolded. "Your life does not matter to us as much as hers does, but know that we are taking this very seriously and will make sure nothing consequential happens to either one of you."

Arguing wouldn't do any good now that he'd clearly made up his mind. Sunny was still anxious as hell, but she helped him carry breakfast out with no more than a glare for calling her "livestock" again.

As usual, breakfast passed without a hitch. Yui, also in her uniform, glanced nervously around the table, no doubt concerned about the same things she was. Her stomach was volatile thanks to the unexpected change, so Sunny poked at her egg, unable to work up an appetite for more than a few bites.

Getting into the Mukami's limo felt surreal. Crawling out of it and staring at Ryoutei's grand entryway felt surreal. Walking inside and seeing other human beings carrying out their evenings like normal people felt most surreal of all. They separated on the second floor, and Sunny watched Yui retreat into a sea of uniforms before she followed Kou to their homeroom.

Laito wasn't in yet, but the way some of her classmates turned to look at her when she walked in made her want to dissolve into dust. She hadn't been to school in nearly three weeks. Of course she was going to get odd looks.

Eating the single egg had been a good idea. Her breakfast may have ended up on the classroom floor otherwise.

Sunny pulled out the notebook Ruki gave her in the limo and drew swirls in the margins, letting her hair fall to obscure her face. If she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise!" a horrible, familiar voice exclaimed.

She didn't need to look up to know who it was. "Hey, Laito. How… how've you been?"

He plopped down in his chair and rested his elbows on her desk. He sighed, and a puff of air shifted her bangs. "I'm doing well now that you and the other slut are back. I missed you two."

Had Laito… just called them sluts? Fucking _sluts_? Her nostrils flared as she jerked her head up to glare at him. "Excuse me?"

"Oh? Did I make you mad?" Laito asked, his smug little smirk showing that he not only knew the answer to his question, but that he relished getting a reaction out of her.

Sunny hadn't missed him.

"I'm not happy," she said through clenched teeth. "What happened to your other nickname? The more endearing one?"

"Traitors don't get endearing nicknames."

"And we betrayed you… _how_ , exactly?"

"You ran off to live with him and his lot." Laito's gesture was nonchalant, almost graceful, but the intense look in his eyes was revealing enough to make her wince. "That _filth_."

Sunny leaned back in her chair, glancing frantically to Kou, who was engrossed in conversation with a few female classmates. Oh, for the love of fuck.

"I didn't exactly run off. They uh…" She looked left and right. There were too many people around for her to tell him the full truth. "They didn't give me much choice in the matter, and I wasn't exactly… erm… in a good state of mind."

Unconscious. She'd been concussed and unconscious.

He drummed his fingers on her desk, humming. "But… you still let them-" He leaned in to hiss in her ear "-have your blood" and then backed off. "Correct? I can smell him _aaaalllll_ over you. You enjoyed it, didn't you? Slut."

There was… _so_ _much_ to unpack. She kept her voice low. "What was I supposed to do, Laito? Throw him off of me? Outrun him?"

"Do you like being with him, though?" he asked.

Kou was in the room. She wasn't about to air her grievances while he was within earshot! Of course… he _was_ within earshot. Ruki… _had_ said he'd protect her from the Sakamakis, right? She could use this. "I like living with them a hell of a lot more than I liked living with you guys."

There it was. No backing off now. Laito's eyes widened, and he clutched his hand to his heart in mock agony, grinning. "So cruel! Especially after how affectionate I've been with you. How heartless."

At least Laito looked like he was taking her outburst well. She'd told him the truth, too. Maybe it was just that she'd had more time to grow accustomed to the Mukami brothers, but she did enjoy living with them more than she had the Sakamakis. If nothing else, the food was better.

Their teacher walked in, and Sunny picked up her pen and pulled off its cap deliberately. Laito got the message and turned back around to face the front (to her relief). If today continued like this, she could survive. She still didn't understand why she was back in school in the first place, but she'd survive.

Sunny frowned, knowing her first day back after her prolonged absence would be a painful reintroduction to subjects she'd been falling behind on, and braced herself for fifty minutes of new math.

* * *

The day didn't continue as planned.

Sunny thought she was seeing things when she spotted the mop of blond hair headed for the exit, but sure enough… Kou was leaving her alone in the classroom with Laito.

Son of a bitch.

Breath hitching in her throat, Sunny left her notebook behind on the desk and rushed out to follow him. Ruki had said she'd be fine as long as they stayed together. The hallway was full of students wandering around during their lunch breaks, but Kou's hairstyle was distinctive enough for her to follow him through the throngs.

She tailed behind him until he vanished.

Where the actual fuck had he gone? She looked left and right, hoping to either spot him in the crowd or hear the jangle of his bracelets, but… there was nothing. Her heart hammered in her chest.

"Kou?" she called out. "Kou, where are you?"

No response. What was she supposed to do for the next half hour? What the hell was she supposed to do?

Plenty of people in her class stayed behind during lunch period, so there would be witnesses there to deter Laito from doing anything out of line, but she didn't want to look at him. Or talk to him. She could try to find the Mukami brothers in the library or on the roof, but if she ran into one of the Sakamakis on the way…

Every second she spent mulling this over was another chance for a brother to jump her. She needed to think.

Bathroom. She could hide in the bathroom for the next half hour. Yes. That was a good idea. Even vampires had enough decency to leave a woman to do her business in peace, right? Right?

Sunny only started breathing normally again when she made it inside. The bathroom was refreshingly free of vampires. A group of girls chatted in front of one of the bathroom mirrors, adjusting their lip gloss and hair. Before she could make it into one of the stalls, one of them stopped her.

"Hold on a second…" she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you… Sunny?"

"Huh?" she asked, probably looking like an idiot. Who was this girl? She had never seen her before, and she would remember someone with as pretty as her. Sunny squinted at the three of them, racking her brain for answers and finding none. "Uhm… yeah! That's me! I'm sorry, but… uh… I don't know your names."

"That's alright," another girl said. "We haven't met before. I'm Mei."

Though Sunny knew that this was… _weird_ … she hadn't made any friends outside of the two mansions she'd been living in, and the idea of someone else… well, talking to her made something swell in her stomach.

"And I'm Yuka, and this is Riko," the tall one that stopped her said.

"Nice to meet you guys!" Sunny gushed, grinning. She was an international exchange student. That must have been it. "What classes are you in?"

Yuka squinted at her. "We're in class B."

"Is it true what Kou said?" Riko blurted out. "Are you guys really a thing?"

 _What?_

"I'm… sorry…?" Sunny gaped at the three of them. "What are you talking about?"

"It can't be true, right?" Riko continued. "I mean… you totally aren't his type! No offense, but I mean… look at you."

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"She's from the UK, Riko. She probably doesn't understand what you just said," Yuka said, rolling her big brown eyes. Sunny felt a pang in her stomach.

"No, I underst-"

"Are you and Kou dating?" Yuka spoke slowly, like she was speaking to a child. "Are… you… in… a… relationship?"

"Okay, first of all, no!" Sunny waved her hands in front of her. "We aren't a thing! Who told you that we were?"

"Kou did," Mei said, eyes narrowing. "He showed us pictures and everything."

"He _what_?!" Sunny's jaw fell open. "What pictures?!"

Riko pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled for a second before pulling up a picture of… her. It was her, alright, and she was asleep and her hair was everywhere and there was an unflattering trail of drool seeping out of her mouth. The picture was heavily edited, with a pink-tinted filter and at least ten different emojis (kissy faces, heart-eyes, sparkles) plastered overtop. Yeah, she could definitely see Kou taking that.

Riko scrolled again, and there it was. The damning selfie. Her sleeping in the background, Kou winking with a goofy grin in the foreground.

She was going to fucking _strangle_ him.

"I just… I don't get it." Yuka shook her head, frowning. "What does he see in you?"

"Listen, this is all a big misunderstanding."

"It's so unfair," Mei groaned. "You totally don't deserve him! Do you even know what his favorite food is?"

"I… uh…"

"It's pasta," Riko sobbed. "He likes _vongole bianco_."

"This is so frustrating," Yuka said. "It's obvious you don't realize how great a guy Kou is, so… why the hell is he dating someone like you? You aren't even cute! I mean, no offense."

"Look, Kou really isn't that great." Sunny snorted. She might as well do them a favor and hint at what lay beneath Kou's golden-boy smile.

"See what I mean?" Yuka complained, stomping her foot. The suddenness of the action made her wince.

This wasn't going to work out. She needed to get out of here.

"It was nice meeting you guys and all, but… I gotta go!" Sunny said. "Bye!"

"Hey, wait!" Riko shouted behind her.

Sunny was already out of the bathroom, speed-walking for dear life.

Kou had convinced at least three girls that they were _dating_. Was this going to hurt her chances with making friends at Ryoutei? She'd honestly forgotten that he was an idol, and hadn't even considered that he'd pull something like this. Besides, if he was an idol, wouldn't this hurt his career if pictures got out? What had he been thinking?

More importantly, though… even the girls' bathrooms weren't safe.

Sunny stomped through the halls, looking around for Kou's ugly-ass mug. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. She was going to make him regret taking that fucking selfie.

Who was she kidding? He wouldn't care. He would probably find her anger amusing, for pete's sake. She huffed and glanced at the clock. Twenty-five minutes of lunch left. What a fucking nightmare.

What the hell was she supposed to do now? Hiding by one of the other brothers would feel like defeat, and she didn't know where any of their classrooms were, either. Besides, if she poked her head into every classroom, the chances of her finding a Sakamaki were higher than her finding a Mukami, and if _Laito_ saw her as a traitor she didn't want to know what Reiji and Kanato's opinions on her disappearance were.

Maybe, if she went into a bathroom on the first floor quickly enough, nobody would recognize her and she could hide for the remainder of lunch in peace.

Yes, that was a good idea.

The staircase down to the first floor was deserted, so she took the steps two at a time. When she turned the corner at the halfway point between floors, however, Sunny stopped dead in her tracks.

Shu Sakamaki leaned up against the wall a few steps down, eyes closed.

Why did he have to be here? Weren't there more comfortable places for him to sleep? Wouldn't a soundproof, carpeted practice room be a better option?

She wasn't stupid enough to think she could sneak past him. There were other staircases, and if she could just-

"Oh, it's you." One eye peeked open.

Sunny froze. "Hey, Shu."

Both eyes were open now. Slowly, his blank face morphed into an expression of amusement. "You're frightened."

She frowned at him for pointing out the obvious. Affirming his comment would sting, but she couldn't deny him outright, either. "Aren't you uncomfortable there?"

"Moving would be worse." Shu slid further down the wall, continuing until his head rested on the ground. There was no way she was getting downstairs with him blocking the entire stairwell like this. He exhaled, slowly. "It's annoying when your prey runs away, you know."

Indignation flared in her chest. "We were kidnapped. _Kidnapped_! What part of that do you guys not understand?"

"I don't really care. It still means we have to fetch you, and I don't like having to play fetch."

"It's too _bothersome_ , isn't it?" she spat out the words. "That's right. If walking a hundred yards to the music room or the infirmary is too fucking much for you, of course hunting me down would be! But maybe, just _maybe_ , if you're too goddamned lazy to try and find me, you shouldn't be able to call me _your_ _prey_."

She emphasized the last bit with air quotes and a disgusted roll of her eyes. The nerve of these assholes! "Not that I'm _anyone's_ prey, mind you."

"Just a slip of the tongue, huh?" There it was. That stupid little "got you" smirk that she fucking _loathed_.

"I was using your words! _You_ were the one that said prey first! Not me!"

"No need to get so defensive," he said, smirking.

Fuck each and every single one of these guys. Sunny stomped her foot, gnawing on the sleeve of her jacket to keep herself from screaming at him. "I hate you."

"Can't say I'm that fond of you, either. You always were too loud."

"We're speaking at the same volume, asshole. And you're the one that started this conversation!"

"Don't you need two people to have a conversation? You must not hate me enough to leave."

"That goes for you, too." Sunny scrunched up her nose, glaring at him and hoping he'd open his eyes again so he could see how mad she was. "You could also leave."

"Hmphf." Shu crossed one leg over the other, looking almost serene.

"Don't you 'hmphf' me! You know I'm right!"

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Yuma demanded, stomping his way up the staircase from the floor below. Azusa poked his head out from behind him.

Sunny's heart jumped to her throat. The reality of the situation came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. She was talking to one of the Sakamaki brothers away from everyone else. Away from a Mukami. "I… I um…"

"She was talking at me," Shu cut in. "If you're going to take her away from us, you should at least do it properly and keep her on a shorter leash."

What had he just fucking implied? "I'm not a _dog_ , you _absolute dipshit_! And _he_ talked to _me_ first! It was a _conversation_ between _two people_!"

"And why are 'ya here in the first place?" Yuma demanded. Sunny found herself grateful that Shu had draped himself across the entire stairwell. He was a good barrier between her and the Mukamis.

"Kou left me alone with Laito. I didn't want to be stuck with him. Have either of you seen him?"

"No… but… we know he's-"

"Kou's on the roof right now. We were goin' to get 'im."

"Why is he on the _roof_?"

"I don't fuckin' know. That's why we're headed up there. Which we'll do once _this guy_ moves!"

Yuma kicked the stair below Shu. The suddenness of it made Sunny flinch, but Shu didn't even react. "Just… go around me."

"Y'er obnoxious. Typical rich bastard, putting himself above everyone else. Don't block the stairway like this."

If Sunny knew anything about Yuma and Shu, it was that Yuma was not going to back down until he got his way, and that Shu would not move unless the stairway literally caught fire. She stared helplessly at Azusa, who frowned back. She was going to have to resolve this, wasn't she?

"It's alright, I'll just-" Sunny took her uniform's jacket off as she approached Shu "-move him for you guys" and threw it over his head. Fangs obstructed, she grabbed the shoulders of his jacket and tugged. He was heavier than she would have guessed, but this wasn't undoable. If she could just… rotate him… ninety degrees…

Shu grabbed her arm, and all hell broke loose.

Yuma was on top of the two of them in an instant. "Don't touch her! She's _ours_ , you aristocrat bastard!"

He grabbed her other arm and tried to yank her out of Shu's grip, but only succeeded in dragging Sunny on top of Shu. Shu yanked her back with enough force to nearly dislocate her shoulder as his free arm wrapped around her waist.

As both her arms were occupied with the ridiculous tug-of-war match going on between them, Sunny could do little more than kick her legs and pray that her stupid fucking skirt didn't ride up (if it hadn't already).

Shu's hand left her arm and made its way to clasp around her neck.

She and Yuma stopped moving.

"Finally…" Shu sighed, face still covered by her jacket. "Silence."

Yuma's fingers dug into her arm. Sunny winced at him in a silent plea to get him to stop, but he was too focused on Shu's hand to notice.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Yuuma spoke through clenched teeth. "Get y'er hands off of her."

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Shu asked. "I'm trying to take a nap."

"Y'er fuckin' crazy…" Yuma muttered.

Sunny was just glad her jacket was still covering his face. Shu released his grip on her neck, letting his arm flop against her chest. Yuma, however, didn't look ready to deescalate _anything_ , and he was cutting off circulation to her hand even if he hadn't attacked either of them yet. Besides, what would this look like if anyone happened to walk past the staircase?

"Sakamaki Shu." She recognized that commanding voice anywhere, and couldn't help but feel relief when she turned to look at Ruki and Azusa as they approached. "Would you kindly let go of her?"

"Ahh… more troublesome people…" Shu murmured.

"You are outnumbered, Sakamaki." Ruki stated, firmly. "I will not ask again."

"Whatever." Shu's arms slid off of her, and Yuma yanked her off of him and maneuvered them back a few steps before setting her down. He still hadn't let go of her wrist.

"Let's go, Yuma," Ruki said, turning to walk down the stairs.

"Ruki. We can't let 'im treat us like this."

Ruki paused, frowning, and looked up at Shu, who still hadn't moved (her jacket was still covering his face, for crying out loud), and his shoulders sagged. "She belongs to us now. Do you understand?"

"I don't really care," Shu said. "If decent prey comes within my reach, I'll grab it."

Ruki's glare, directed at her now, made Sunny shiver. Okay, trying to drag him out of the way hadn't been a good idea, but it wasn't like she'd sought him out in the first place. And anyway, them talking about her like she was a hunk of meat was _way_ worse than what she had done in her mind.

"You really are a lazy piece of shit," Yuma grumbled.

"If that is the case, we can simply keep her out of your reach," Ruki said, shaking his head at Yuma. "We will leave you to your _nap_. Let's go, Yuma."

Yuma clearly didn't like the idea of going down the stairs, but he followed Ruki nonetheless, tugging Sunny along behind him. She stared at Shu as they went, lamenting the loss of her jacket.

"You approached him, livestock?" Ruki asked once they were a safe distance away.

"Uh… in my defense, I was trying to avoid them and ran into him on accident."

"I did not think I had to explicitly tell you to stay in your classroom, but it appears I may have overestimated your intelligence."

"That's not fair," Sunny said, wincing as Yuma's hand tightened around her wrist. "You told me to stay close to Kou, but he left me behind with Laito as soon as lunch started. I was only trying to follow him!"

"So you left your homeroom, filled with witnesses that would have deterred him from doing anything out of line, and found his brother in an empty stairwell."

"Okay, it sounds worse when you say it that way."

"When I say it the way it happened, you mean?"

"Fine, fine!" Sunny said, pressing a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from his. "But listen… I really, _really_ hate Laito, and he's much more… um… _forward_ than Shu is."

"Yes, it's difficult to be forward when you're sedentary," he conceded. "However, you still made a poor decision in leaving your classroom, and I have to make amends because of your actions. There will be consequences, livestock."

Sunny's chest tightened. The frustration she'd been feeling since he and Shu had held that conversation right in front of her about who owned her boiled over. She looked around her at the students milling about, counting heads. What had he said about witnesses?

She wasn't an object. She wasn't prey. She wasn't fucking _livestock_.

Sunny yanked her hand out of Yuma's grip and jogged over to Ruki, stopping in his path. He stopped, as did his brothers, and normally the look in his eyes would make her shrink away. But not now. If she couldn't stand up for herself in a crowded hallway, then when? When would she have a better opportunity to call them out on their bullshit?

"Stop calling me that." Sunny balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. The looks Ruki and Yuma gave her made her want to dissolve into powder dust. Confronting three vampires wasn't going to be as easy as it had played out in her mind a second ago.

"Isn't it appropriate, though?" Ruki asked before lowering his voice. "We let you stay in our house, free of charge, and clothe you, and feed you, and you in exchange provide the occasional meal for us. Isn't that what livestock is?"

"It's more complicated than that. You know it is."

"Is it really?" Ruki asked. "Or would you just like to believe so?"

It wasn't! It really wasn't! Livestock didn't attend school with its owners or help out in their garden or talk with them about their fucking nightmares! And weren't _they_ the ones that initiated most of that? Wasn't most of that _their_ doing? She sure as hell wasn't here because she wanted to be!

Sunny could feel the waterworks coming on behind her eyes and deep in her throat.

This was so unfair. This was so fucking unfair!

"I hate this," she began, bunching up her shoulders. "I _HATE_ THIS!"

Her outburst quieted the hallway. The students around them stopped speaking for a moment, then started off and on in hushed tones, staring at the four of them. For a brief instant, something sparked in Ruki's eyes. Uncertainty.

There were too many witnesses here for them to do anything.

They'd kill her if she revealed what they were, certainly, but if she didn't let everyone know that they were vampires? She could run her mouth all she fucking wanted to.

That power should have felt better than it did.

"I'm not a fucking _toy_ , Ruki," she began, fighting and failing to keep her voice level and the tears behind her eyelids. "Why can't you understand that?"

Ruki's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a good time."

"Then when is?" she sobbed. "You only do things when it's convenient for you, and only on your terms! And I get why you do that - really, I do! - but I want to have some fucking agency in this relationship. So you're going to let me do something for once!"

He reached out and tried to grab her hand, teeth clenched, but she snatched hers away and backed up a few steps. "I know you can understand my feelings, Ruki, so why can't you make an effort to accommodate them? Why do you have to treat me like this?"

"You're being childish, Sunny," Ruki said. "Stop this."

Hearing her name from him caught her off guard. She froze for a moment and wiped her eyes, which had blurred over from the tears. When she saw his expression, however, the rush returned in full force.

He had only called her by her name because there were people around.

"It isn't childish!" she insisted, frantically shaking her head. "Wanting respect isn't childish!"

"Can we speak somewhere more… _private_?" he hissed, closing the gap between them and grabbing her hand again. This time, he squeezed.

She could see in his eyes that he wasn't going to let her go this time. "Don't touch me."

"Look, Sunny, I'm willing to talk to you." He wasn't. He absolutely fucking wasn't. "I just don't feel comfortable doing it in front of everyone here. You understand, right?"

Shit. He'd fucking cornered her. If she refused, she'd look like a crazy ex girlfriend. Which was… her own fault, admittedly. She had referred to the dynamic between them as a "relationship" on purpose to gain some sympathy points from everyone watching.

She had to get out of here, and she had to make sure she got out without him in tow.

"I'm not convinced you're willing to talk. I'm sorry, Ruki, but… I can't see this going any differently than it always does. Please. Let go of me."

"I just want to talk. Things will be different this time, I promise," Ruki said, gently, in a tone she'd never heard from him before.

 _Fuck_. If _she_ was doubting he'd tear her to shreds as soon as they got away from this crowd, she couldn't even imagine what everyone _else_ in the hallway must be thinking. She hadn't expected him to be such a convincing liar.

"I don't want to hear that from you again!" Sunny furiously shook her head and tried to yank her hand out of his grip. Ruki let her squirm, but she was close enough to see the amusement in his eyes.

She couldn't win this, and he knew she couldn't.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, twisting her arm in her continued attempt to escape.

"Please, I don't want to make a scene." The icy quality she'd come to expect from him was creeping back into his voice as his trap closed in around them. Desperate to get away, Sunny scanned the crowd, looking for a friendly face among the onlookers.

Her gaze locked onto a girl with pin-straight black hair and pretty brown eyes. Yuka stared back, looking more confused by her silent plea than anything else. The world crashed down around her, and Sunny stopped fighting.

Even if someone stepped in… she wouldn't want to drag them into this.

Nobody else deserved to be stuck in a situation like this.

Her shoulders dropped in defeat. Fighting them wasn't worth it anymore. She couldn't look at the three of them, but she heard Yuma's exhale and caught Azusa's fidgeting out of the corner of her eye. It was over.

Ruki led her out of the crowded hallway with Yuma and Azusa trailing quietly behind.

* * *

The limo ride home was deathly silent. They had found Kou and an unconscious Yui on the roof, and Ruki decided it was time to head home and call it a night. By that, they _all_ knew he meant that his brothers could call it a night while he gave her hell for acting out.

Sunny stared out the window. A half moon (waxing) shone through the trees, illuminating everything in an eerie, hazy blue light. She clenched and unclenched her fists to try to keep them from trembling as the outline of the Mukami's mansion approached them in the darkness.

She could do this. She'd make it out of this, and she'd get out of her entire awful situation eventually. With Yui.

She'd just have to bear this for a while.

Once Yui had been handed over to Yuma to be put to bed and Azusa and Kou dispersed, Ruki led Sunny to his room. He shoved her inside and locked the door behind them as she rubbed the new rug burn on her knees.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you."

Sunny stared at him as he took a seat on his couch, throat constricting.

"Are… are you looking for a specific reason?"

"I'm not looking for any emotional appeals for mercy," he said, crossing one leg over another. "Wipe that pathetic expression off your face. It won't do you any good."

He was being so nonchalant about this, like he'd done it a thousand times before and this wasn't new or uncertain territory for him. Sunny swallowed, trying to calm herself.

"You c-can't just kill people that inconvenience you."

"Do you doubt that?" he asked, sounding almost… bored.

"Okay, I know you're physically capable of killing me, and you could probably dispose of the evidence and nobody would ever… ever find my body, but… you shouldn't."

"Don't bring human morality into this, livestock. I'm a vampire."

He drew out the insult, obviously relishing being able to use it again now that they weren't in public. Sunny winced. A part of her had known what he'd been looking for from the beginning, but she hadn't wanted to be correct.

Ruki wanted something palpable.

And she wasn't sure she could provide it, whatever it was.

"I don't know what you want from me, Ruki," she began. "It's not blood, because you can take that whenever you want, and… you don't like it when I try to help you guys out… I don't know. Just… tell me what you want to hear. You'd have killed me already if you weren't looking for something specific."

"I want your compliance."

"I can't give you that."

Her answer rushed out before she could stop it, and her cheeks burned as she stared him down, hoping he'd let her get her qualifier out before choosing to snap her neck. "I mean… I… I have my pride, Ruki, and that's… that's not something I can swallow in one day."

"Of course," he said. Sunny perked up, hoping she could think of another bargaining chip, but he… continued talking. "I wouldn't expect that of livestock as simple as yourself. You would require assistance."

This was a fucking test, wasn't it? He was probing to see if she'd react to his insults. Sunny bit her lip to keep herself from snapping at him. She couldn't get away with it right now.

"You would provide that assistance." Sunny managed to spit out the words. She couldn't look at him, so she let her hair fall over her eyes.

"Correct." Ruki stood from the couch - she heard the wood resettle as his weight left it - and padded toward her. "And don't worry, I have heard I am excellent at conditioning unwanted qualities out of my pets."

He gripped her chin and tipped it up, forcing her to look at him. "So. Have we come to an agreement, livestock?"

Sunny couldn't inhale any air. "Yes."

The edges of his lips twitched as he released her chin. "I'm glad to hear that."

She hugged her arms to her chest, curling into herself. "Can… can I leave, then?"

"No. I want to start this tonight."

"Now?" she squeaked. Oh, no, she wasn't ready. She'd been hoping his "conditioning" would remain an abstract concept!

"Stand, livestock," he commanded. Shaking like a leaf, she crawled to her feet, watching him through her curtain of hair as she did so.

"What do you want, Ruki?" Every word needled her tongue.

"Beg me to suck your blood."

"Kou just did that yesterday, though…" she protested.

"And? Would you prefer to be lightheaded or dead?" he asked, unsympathetic.

"Okay, okay, fine," she snarled. Oops. This was going to be a shitshow, wasn't it? "I… uh… sorry? Please… please… uh…"

"Go on."

"pleasesuckmyblood"

"I didn't quite catch that."

Oh, fuck him. "Please suck my blood. Is that good enough for you? Huh?"

"Do it again and drop the attitude."

"You're making death seem like a really good option right now, Ruki."

"How unfortunate."

Oh, so appeals to decency didn't work on him, either. Furiously, she unclasped the first few buttons of her shirt. "You know what, Ruki? You want my blood? Take it! Take my fucking blood, but I am _not_ begging! Here, before you ask me to undress, I'll do it my fucking self-" She yanked the fabric aside, revealing her shoulder. "-so _there_! All yours!"

He coughed. "You're surprisingly… proactive."

"Fuck you! I'm doing this on my own terms!"

"You're offering yourself to me because you want to?" he asked, smirking down at her.

"You know what I meant!"

"You're going to beg, and I still haven't heard you do it properly."

Dear fucking lord, he was really going to make her go through with this. Sunny's fingernails dug into her palms, even though there was no point to the action. She was already shaking like a leaf, and Ruki could see that. There was no way he _couldn't_ see it.

The words played over and over again in her head. Sunny knew exactly what she could say to placate him, but… wasn't sure she could translate those words into audible, discernible syllables without breaking down. And she didn't want to break down in front of him again.

"Well?" he demanded. She flinched at the sound of his voice. "Are you incapable of meeting my expectations?"

Sunny bit her lip. "I don't know."

"Then you'd better figure it out. I have little tolerance for this."

A thought crossed her mind. How much would it hurt, really? Him snapping her neck, or crushing her ribcage under his foot, or even strangulation? Wouldn't death only be a few minutes?

Would she take those few minutes over however long she had left before she outlived her usefulness and they discarded her anyway?

Sunny knew the answer to that, and she knew it made her a coward.

"Just… rip off the band-aid already," she whispered. "I hate this, and I don't want to be here anymore, so… please… suck my blood."

A pause. Sunny inhaled, and the breath that she drew in was disgustingly quivery. _Please… just… let that be good enough_.

Ruki's hand snaked around her back, bracing her body against his. Sunny couldn't see his face now that she was so close to him, but she could hear his discontented hum and feel his hand give her side a light squeeze. "You aren't eating enough."

Frustrated he would delay this any further, especially with a comment on something she'd noticed herself, Sunny pressed her face into his shoulder. He shifted, ever so slightly, and they stood, pressed against each other (in a position too similar to an embrace for her liking), until Sunny wondered if he had actually been bluffing about biting her this whole time.

Then, she felt the prick against her neck.

As she'd been unconscious for most of when Kou sucked her blood, she… wasn't really sure how much she had to give Ruki. When her head started to throb a few seconds after Ruki's bite, however, she panicked. She squirmed against him, and his free hand moved to anchor her head in place by fisting her hair.

"I'm dizzy," she gasped. Spots appeared in the corners of her vision, but Ruki still hadn't even acknowledged her. "S-stop!"

With him this close, she couldn't shove him away. She could try to pull his hair, but she didn't want to risk severing another artery with his teeth on her neck. What was she supposed to do? "Ruki, please, you're going to-"

"This is your punishment, livestock. Did you really think I would make it _pleasant_ for you?" His voice was cold and uncaring. Her eyes widened as her breaths became more and more ragged. Ruki stopped and pulled away from her neck. "Are you worried I'll kill you?"

Sunny balled her hands into fists and squeezed her eyes shut. "Kinda. Yeah."

"Mmm." He ran his tongue over the bite marks. Sunny shivered. She hadn't been expecting it to be that wet or that cold, and she _didn't like it_. When he leaned back, she opened her eyes, hoping he was finally done. Standing was difficult at this point.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

She deflated. No. No, absolutely not. Nope. Never. He was too close and too big and too strong, so she couldn't tell him that, damn it. "It's not like I have any choice."

He frowned, and Sunny wondered if _"no"_ would have been a better answer. "Hm. You're such an insolent girl."

Sunny ground her teeth, tottering as he loosened his grip a bit. Now might be her last chance to run, but… how far would she get, realistically? Before either she collapsed or he caught her again?

"You're afraid," Ruki said (she couldn't refute him). "I really don't understand you. Wouldn't behaving be easier? It's not like you lack common sense completely. You seem to know what will happen if you act out."

 _My behavior is the one thing I can still control in your stupid fucking mansion._ She'd never tell him that, as much as she wanted to scream the words at him. Whenever she drew lines with these guys, it seemed like they made it their god-given mission to cross them, and her ability to act… _somewhat_ independently was something she wasn't willing to give up.

"I don't know. Sometimes things just slip out." Sunny glared at him through the haze, daring him to challenge her.

He didn't. "You should work on controlling yourself, then."

Fat chance. "You're right." Technically, he _was_ right. She just preferred to do things on her own terms, even if doing things on her own terms meant she was acting like a royal idiot.

Ruki pressed her into him again, this time exposing the other side of her neck. "I'm not going to kill you."

Sunny shuddered. Was that supposed to be comforting? Again, murder was an incredibly low bar to hop over. She'd done enough damage today, though, and there wasn't much more she could safely do other than… endure.

She scrunched up her face and screwed her mouth shut, leaning into his shoulder to ensure she wouldn't make any pathetic, pained noises when Ruki sank his fangs into her again. Besides, fainting was a lot better when she didn't have to watch her surroundings blur into nothing. And they never seemed to care about her personal space.

Ruki took his damned time leaning into her neck, and she almost felt relieved when he punctured her skin. Even if bites were always unbelievably awkward.

At least Ruki was quieter than Shu and Yuma had been. Fucking hell. The things she took solace in nowadays.

As her eyes were shut, Sunny didn't really know when she lost consciousness. She knew her legs were turning to jelly as her muscles failed and liquefied, but… she couldn't place the exact moment when she stopped paying attention. She had been trying to avoid paying attention to him in the first place.

Her mind drifted away to somewhere undoubtedly superior to _there_. Somewhere warm, and _safe_ , where she wasn't perpetually trapped and vulnerable. It was the closest thing to comfort she was going to get.

She had to be grateful for what she could - for what she was _allowed to_ \- keep.

Eventually, however, her dream world melted into darkness, and Sunny collapsed against Ruki chest, falling back into the reality she so loathed once again.

* * *

 **I _will_ catch the story up on this site eventually. **

**Feel free to check out the character poll on my profile. I'm always eager to see feedback of all kinds!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! I hope to have Chapter 11 up soon. Love you all!**


	11. Delusions

"You know, Yui, I really, _really_ don't think this whole 'going to school' thing is working out for us," Sunny complained.

"You're… um… preaching to the choir," Yui replied, giving her a small smile and rubbing at her neck.

"Do you think I'm a good enough preacher to reach the guys?"

"They're staunch atheists, so I'm not convinced they'd listen to God Himself," Yui muttered, shaking her head. "I think you'd be a decent preacher, though."

Sunny beamed at her. "Aww, really? Thanks!"

Yui sighed, staring off into the distance at where the sun had set. "But, if we're giving them the benefit of the doubt - which… erm… we kind of _have_ to do - it's only been two days. Things could get better with time."

"You're too generous. I'm going to end up getting in a fight with Laito if he keeps passing me notes that say 'slut' and 'whore' on them. Do you know what the worst part of it is? I think he's only doing it because I don't like seeing the notes!"

"Kanato's been throwing erasers."

Sunny barked out a laugh. "I'm sorry, Yui, it's just kind of… funny, isn't it? You wouldn't expect vampires to exact their revenge by passing notes and throwing erasers, would you? It's so fucking juvenile."

"A little bit, yeah." She cracked a smile. "Say, Sunny… are you doing alright? Azusa told me you and Ruki aren't on good terms right now."

"Mmm, yeah." Sunny tried not to wince at the mention of it. "I'm doing fine. On thin ice with him right now, though, which is… awful."

The blonde leaned against her balcony and exhaled, slowly. The two of them stood in silence, watching as the golden glow coming from the Mukami's mansion illuminated the gurgling water of the gigantic fountain in the front yard.

Life at the mansion was full of quiet moments, but most of them were… somber, this one included.

Being with Yui made things better, though.

"It's brisk outside today," Yui noted. "Yuma's going to need help covering his plants soon."

"That also means we eventually won't have to worry about his garden."

"Just the greenhouse."

"Yeah… just the greenhouse."

"I think… I'm going to miss the garden once it gets cold, though. It's really lovely."

Sunny sighed and leaned against the brick wall, unwilling to get too far onto the balcony herself. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss fresh raspberries with breakfast. And all the summer tomatoes."

"I like the roses. They've always been my favorite flower."

"You're a real romantic, huh?" Sunny shot her a grin, crossing her arms.

Yui stared off into the distance. "Yeah, I suppose. Maybe even a hopeless one."

"Don't say that, Yui, I'm sure you had guys lining up to date you before you came here. Once we get out of this mess, you'll find someone."

When Yui whipped around, her cheeks were a flush shade of pink. "D-don't talk like that here! What if someone overhears?"

Right. She really shouldn't be scaring Yui like this. Sunny looked down at her shoes. "Sorry, it's just… I've gotta believe in _something_ to get me through this, you know? It gets too depressing otherwise."

"Mmhm. I… understand."

"I'm sorry, Yui. Would you rather I didn't say things like that out loud? I can stop if it makes you uncomfortable."

Yui stared at her, eyes wide. Her mouth hung ajar. "I don't… I don't know. I don't want you to feel bad about talking to me, ever, but… even if expressing those opinions makes you feel better, isn't it… scary for you, as well? Why are you asking _me_ , anyway?"

"Well, uh…" Sunny stammered, shifting from foot to foot. "I don't want to make you feel bad for my sake."

Yui clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "Oh."

"Do you… um… like the idea of… getting away?"

"Of course. I just… I don't know…"

"That's okay. I… erm… when I say things like 'I'll get through this' or 'it'll be okay' to someone else, it feels… more… _convincing_ than when I'm just rehearsing the lines to myself."

Yui averted her eyes, tilting her head as she looked down at the garden below. She didn't respond for a few minutes, and when she did, it was too quiet for Sunny to hear.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"You should keep saying those thoughts aloud," Yui repeated, this time with more conviction. "If it helps you get through this, you should do it."

"You're really okay with it?"

"It's not like I don't like hearing you speak about… the future… like it's something that we'll have control over eventually, even if I worry about them eavesdropping. Just… be careful about when you say it, okay? I don't want to lose you."

"I'll be careful, Yui," Sunny said. "I promise."

"I'm… really glad to hear that." Yui smiled back at her, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety. The blonde exhaled, collecting herself. "Anyway. Neither of us are doing this alone. You told me that you'd protect me after Kou attacked us. I'll do my best to protect you, as well. I can talk to Ruki, if you'd like."

"I think I can handle Ruki." Getting the silent treatment wasn't that bad, and as long as she attended meals and said "please" and "thank you" every once in a while he paid no attention to her. If she behaved, she wouldn't have to spend another night in his bedroom.

"Are you sure?" Yui looked unconvinced.

"Oh, yeah." Sunny waved her hand dismissively. "I can be polite when I want to be."

"Can I… do your makeup before class, at least?"

Sunny perked up at the offer. Kou had barged into her room over the weekend with a foundation bottle and a pink sponge, spouting nonsense about how she was wasting too many Band-aids covering her injuries. She wore mascara and drew in her brows every once in a while, but whenever she tried foundation her skin ended up looking like dried mud by the end of the day. Her neck hadn't fared well.

"Please," Sunny begged. "Help me, Yui."

Yui giggled and led her back inside, pulling some products Sunny didn't recognize from her drawers and frowning at the scar tissue that snaked from her collarbone to just below her ear, before gluing on yet another smile and getting to work.

* * *

There was a problem.

She had been an idiot and a fool, and she hadn't gone to the restroom before she left for class, and now it was lunchtime and Kou was gone and she was stuck in the classroom alone with Laito again.

He wasn't seriously going to do anything if she left, was he? When she came back on Friday morning after the events of her first day back, she found all her lecture notes torn to shreds. Maybe… he would only do that once?

Or she could just bring all her books to the bathroom with her.

Seriously, where the hell did Kou run off to every day?

Sunny chose to risk leaving her books with Laito. If she ran into Riko, Yuka, and Mei again, at least she'd have less holding her down should they choose to confront her.

Thankfully, the bathroom was near-empty. When Sunny came out of her stall, however, the sight of long black hair tied into a pony made her flinch. She washed her hands and hoped Yuka wouldn't notice the mane of fluffy ginger hair a few meters away.

Yuka noticed.

"Hey," she said, patting at her bangs in the mirror.

 _Shit_. She couldn't pretend she hadn't seen Yuka now. "Hey."

"You've got lint in your hair." Yuka pointed to a particularly troublesome region of it.

"Ah… you're right!" Sunny pulled it out and swatted at the frizzy mess, laughing out of discomfort. "I swear, my hair's like a magnet for that stuff. What a mess."

"It'd be prettier if you took care of it," Yuka said.

Well… she wasn't wrong, but it wasn't like maintaining a strict beauty regimen was on the top of her list of priorities with four vampires constantly at her throat. "Oh, I know. I just… don't have much time for it."

"Yeah, having two boyfriends must be a real drag."

Right. She'd seen the whole Ruki fiasco last Thursday. Never mind the fact that she had exactly _zero_ boyfriends and had no interest in changing that number. "About that… I'm not dating Ruki or Kou. The situation's kinda complicated."

"Did they break up with you?" Yuka asked. Her expression told Sunny that she'd spare her no sympathy if the answer was yes.

Honestly, what was she supposed to say? No matter what direction she took, she'd end up looking bad. "We were never dating in the first place. I don't really want to talk about it."

"But Kou said you were-"

"Look, Kou lied to you guys." Sunny clenched her fists on the edge of the sink. "I know you probably don't want to hear that, but it's true, even if you don't believe me. I would never date him, _ever_! I just… he's not my type. Neither is Ruki."

"I'm… really confused. Wait… were you… like… 'friends with benefits' or something?"

"There was never _anything_ between _any_ of us. Nothing." Sunny rushed to quash Yuka's imagination before she could come up with more embarrassing theories.

"Then why did you say you and Ruki were in a relationship?" Yuka massaged her temples, frowning. "I don't understand any of this."

"A friendly relationship, yes," Sunny lied through her teeth. "Sorry… my Japanese wasn't the best there. We're just friends. No benefits. Friends. Kinda. We're… it's really complicated, okay? I'm not sure we're going to be friends much longer. There were a lot of… um… misunderstandings and issues with communication."

Okay, that definitely wasn't the whole truth, and some parts of her explanation were flat-out lies (Ruki and Kou were _excellent_ at communicating their intentions), but it was the best she could do.

Yuka pursed her lips. "Um. Okay."

There was still something she had to get off her chest. "Yuka… you like Kou, don't you?"

Eyes narrowed. "I mean… yeah…"

"From one girl to another…" she began, tugging nervously at her sleeves. "You don't want to date Kou. He's… struggling with a lot right now."

"What? What's he struggling with?" Damn it, she actually looked concerned.

 _He doesn't know how not to be a colossal asshole all the time._ She couldn't say that. "Insomnia, I think. He's been really irritable lately, and… I don't know… I don't think he'll be ready for a relationship until he gets all this sorted out."

"Oh… that must be really hard on him…" Yuka looked down into the sink, grimacing.

Sunny thought back to how Kou had looked in the garden when he'd been reminiscing about his past life. "I think so, too."

"Has he tried taking melatonin for it?" Yuka asked. She looked genuinely concerned. Idolization was still a form of devotion, she supposed. Kou definitely didn't deserve to have people like her fawning over him, though.

"I don't think he's tried too much yet." Sunny frowned, realizing she had to cover her tracks. "He's… kinda sensitive about the whole topic, though, so you might not want to approach him about it. Would you like me to pass the idea along to him? I can throw in your name if you'd like."

Yuka nodded. "I'd really like that. I just want him to be happy, y'know? He does so much for his fans."

Sunny smiled, weakly. "I'll be sure to tell him."

Bathroom crisis mostly avoided, she walked back out into the hallway, stomach twisting into knots. She wasn't an enemy in Yuka's eyes anymore, probably, but… there were so many ways where this could go wrong, and Sunny didn't want to upset Kou again.

Due to the thousand concerns bouncing around in her head, she wasn't really paying attention to the hallway traffic. Sunny turned a corner and walked right into an unfortunate student.

The initial shock wore off in an instant. This person wasn't an ordinary student.

 _Vampire_. She knew by the chill. "Careful there, Little Bitch."

She should have had her guard up. She'd been stupid, _again_. "Sorry, Laito. Wasn't paying attention. My fault."

"It's quite alright. No harm, no foul," he said.

Sunny averted her eyes as she bent down to pick up his fedora off the floor. "Still. Sorry for that. I'll see you in class."

She tried to skirt around him, but he grabbed her wrist. "Hold on, there was something I wanted to show you."

The last time a Sakamaki brother had pulled the 'look at this' card with her, she'd ended up in a room full of corpses in wedding gowns, so Sunny really, _really_ didn't want to go with him. "Sorry, Laito, can I see it later? I wanted to look over my notes today."

"Actually, this is a one-time thing. You wouldn't want to miss it, would you?" Laito asked. His tone was playful enough, but something behind his eyes told her he wasn't about to take no for an answer.

Sunny swallowed. "Okay, but it needs to be fast, alright?"

"Of course!" Laito tugged her wrist, and she had no choice but to stumble along behind him. One of the Mukami brothers would intervene if things got out of control… right?

He led her down the hall, and when Sunny saw the stairs that led to the roof, she felt ready to throw up. Nothing good happened on the roof. Or high places. Especially high places.

The roof was deserted, which only made things worse. Sunny felt as if Laito were slowly lowering a trap over her head, and that she could do nothing to stop the cage from descending.

"Isn't it beautiful up here?" Laito asked as he let go of her wrist to wander over to the edge.

Sunny exhaled and rubbed at her jacket's cuffs. "Y-yeah, sure."

"I doubt your… _friends_ let you out much, so I figured I'd take you up here. It's a gorgeous night."

Why had he said 'friends' like that? This wasn't going to go well. "Yeah, and the moon's really pretty, isn't it?"

"You noticed!" Laito clapped his hands, beaming at her. "Full moons are beautiful. I think they're especially romantic, don't you?"

She stared up at it. The moon was a small circle way up in the sky, but its orange glow was still enough to illuminate the roof alongside the decorative lamps. She'd always loved looking at the night sky. In the middle of town, she couldn't see the stars, so she was almost… happy he'd brought here up here for the full moon. This was… not bad.

"Full moons are important to vampires, you know," Laito said, leaning against the fence.

Really? Kanato hadn't seemed the least bit interested in her talking about the moon that one night. Maybe that was just… Kanato. "Is that right?"

"Yes! We're our strongest with full moons, but…" Laito trailed off, dragging his finger along the iron pikes. When he looked up at her again, Sunny froze at the sight of his toothy, almost frenzied grin. "…with that strength… comes an _insatiable_ thirst."

Her heart pounded in her chest. She'd kept close to the door for this very reason, but… what had he said about strength? Would she even make it if she ran?

Laito started toward her, and Sunny bolted for the door. She was all of three steps away from it. She closed the distance in one. The door handle felt cold against her clammy, sweaty hand.

His hand hit the door inches from her head, holding it in place and cutting off her sole exit. Sunny's breathing was shallow. She twisted away from him and sprinted to the edge of the roof.

Ryoutei Academy had five floors. Her head spun as she tried to gauge the distance between her and the ground. Could she survive falling five stories? Not without broken limbs, at the very least.

"Now, now, Little Bitch, what are you considering?" Laito's arms snaked around her torso, pinning hers to her sides. "I hope you aren't that desperate to get away from me. I'm not mean to you, am I?"

Sunny kicked her legs in desperation, and Laito pressed her body into the fence. When the iron creaked against her body, she stilled. How sturdy were these barriers? She stared down at the courtyard below, panting as Laito hummed behind her.

"You aren't allowed to tell her the other one this, but… over the time we've spent together, she's gotten a bit dull for me," Laito mused, moving one arm to trace the curve of her waist. "Her reactions aren't nearly what they were when she first came to us."

"Please get off of me," Sunny begged, shivering. Her voice was barely audible, but she knew he could hear her.

He chuckled, and Sunny loathed being close enough to feel his chest rumble as he did so. "You see? Your expressions are still so strong. I just can't get enough of you!"

"This isn't a good place for you to be doing this!" Sunny blathered, eyes bulging as she looked from the fence to the ground below.

"Oh, are you afraid of heights?" he asked.

Sunny gulped and nodded. Anything to get them away from the edge of the roof.

"That's adorable," Laito cooed. He twirled her around a few times, which she did _not_ appreciate. Sunny squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he'd have the decency to move closer to the center of the roof, where she didn't have to worry she'd trip and hit concrete twenty meters below.

When he stopped and she opened her eyes, however, what greeted her was much worse.

They were on the _other side_ of the fence.

"Holy _shit_!" Sunny yelled, twisting in his arms.

Laito loosened his grip on her, and Sunny grabbed onto the fence, holding on for dear life. He laughed at her terror before appearing back onto the safe side of the roof.

Dear fucking _god_. Her hands were too sweaty to hold onto the bars. Her knees wobbled.

"You're looking pretty pale, Little Bitch," he commented, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat down on a bench.

"Oh my fucking god Laito _get me down from here_!"

"I'm considering it."

"You shouldn't have to consider anything at all! Oh my god!"

"How about…" Laito began, standing up and stretching. "You give me something in return for helping you."

He took a step toward her, and all she could see was teeth. Sunny instinctively inched her foot back.

There was nothing there to support it, and her hands slipped as her body jerked backwards.

The world rushed by in a blur.

Sunny stared up at the sky as her stomach jerked in a sensation she knew from some of her dreams. She'd even imagined it a few times, when she found herself crossing a bridge on her way to school, or crossing rivers in the passenger seat of her mother's car, or whenever she found herself in a tall building and intrusive thoughts pricked at her reason with persistent tweezers. What would falling to her death feel like? She couldn't help but wonder sometimes.

This time, however, there was no disillusioning veil between reality and fantasy. She was falling for real, and she couldn't just shake her head and force herself to think of other things.

This was surreal. A part of her had known she'd die by one of their hands, but she hadn't expected that tripping off a roof would bring about her demise. _Pathetic_.

If she were to off herself, she wouldn't have done so by jumping to her death in the first place, and not even choosing to take the leap made it worse.

Oh, god, how long would it take Bailey to realize that she was never coming back? Would Mrs. Finnegan keep her gingersnaps recipe? Would Jeannette and Maira ever stop looking for her, wondering what had happened? What would her mother do?

Panic clawed its way from her chest to her throat, and Sunny's jaw ripped open as she screamed.

Then, her back hit something.

She knew it wasn't the ground, because it hadn't really hurt and there was some give that concrete wouldn't have provided. When she recognized the familiar sleeves of the school uniform around her torso, however, Sunny couldn't help but feel a bit crushed, even in her relief. She was still… _here_.

"Sunny… it's okay… I've got you," Azusa said, quietly. She could barely hear him over the shouting above her. Yuma must have been laying into Laito.

The roof was… still close. How was that possible? Sunny stared up at the fence, wondering how it was barely an arm's length away from her, and stupidly looked down.

Azusa was fucking _floating_ twenty meters in the air. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Hey… don't cry. I won't… drop you."

He wiped her tears with his sleeve, not understanding why _no_ , she _wasn't_ okay. _None_ of this was okay! She hated feeling this helpless, _being_ this helpless, _all the time_!

She was _so fucking exhausted_. With _all_ of this.

"Why didn't you just let me fall?"

Azusa didn't say anything for a moment. "…I don't think… I should have."

She stared up at the moon, feeling like a husk of a person. " _Why_ , though? What… what am I even _worth_ to you guys?"

"I like… having you around." He stroked her hair, tentatively, as if she were a particularly delicate piece of tissue paper he didn't want to rip. "Don't be sad, Sunny. I like… your smiles. They're so… lopsided and cute, and when I see them… I'm happy."

She hadn't been expecting that. Sunny shook her head, trying and failing to steady her breaths and smother the tightness in her throat as another wave of emotion smacked her like a ton of bricks. He was so observant and so _wrong_.

"I also… want to carve pumpkins with you."

She choked out a laugh. "How could I forget about the pumpkins?"

"Ah… you're smiling. You really want to… do that with me?"

"Yeah… if Yuma lets us."

Azusa's face appeared in her vision as he beamed down at her. "I'm… glad."

"Hey, Azusa, I know y'er tryin' to be nice, but she can cry and be emotional and shit on the roof. Someone could see you." Yuma stood on the other side of the fence, frowning at the two of them.

"Sorry…" Azusa murmured. His eyelids drooped, as did the corners of his lips. "You'll carve pumpkins with me, then? When… they're ripe?"

She wiped her eyes, again, and pressed her lips together. "Mmhm."

"Promise?" He looked rather serious about this.

"I promise."

His thin, chapped lips parted, revealing the needles within, and he gave her a squeeze.

Slowly, cautiously, Azusa floated them back up to the safety of the roof.

* * *

"Can we talk? Please?"

"It's rare for you to approach me." Kou still had his face buried in his textbook, and she'd been standing in his room building up the courage to talk to him for a few minutes (ridiculous that she had to build up courage to ask this stick of a boy dressed in pink pajamas anything at all), and she knew he could tell when she was around.

"Desperate times," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kou's lips turned up at her sardonic remark. "Really?"

"Did you hear about what happened today?" she asked. Her knuckles went white as she adjusted her steel grip on the doorknob - an escape route.

He finally looked up at her. "Ruki already briefed me on it. You weren't in any danger, you know."

"I _fell off the roof_!"

"Yeah, so?"

"How can you say that?"

A shrug and a smile. "Even if my brothers hadn't been there to catch you, the Sakamaki would have. He wouldn't let you go to waste."

She chose to ignore the implications of the last bit. "It was still absolutely terrifying. And I'm not convinced he won't try something like that again."

"Yeah, he's weird, isn't he?" Kou leaned back in his chair, still grinning at her. "I wouldn't count on that if I were you, either."

"If only I had another vampire in my class that might keep him in check."

"I don't like babysitting. It's a lot of effort."

"Okay, I get that," she conceded. Might as well _try_ to butter him up. "But you're actually putting effort into making my life miserable, so you can't use that excuse."

"That's an awfully conceited accusation to make," Kou said, putting his arms up to stretch his back. " _Me_? Spend time on _you_?"

"You told some girls that we were dating. I saw the pictures that you took."

"Oh, right." He turned to face her. " _Those_."

The doorknob was slick in her sweaty hand. "If word got out, couldn't that jeopardize your career?"

"I wouldn't _let_ word get out." Something in his tone made her stomach churn. "Besides, isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone as plain as you? Wouldn't you just _love_ to date someone famous?"

"I don't want to date you!" Sunny ground her teeth. "At all! I don't even want to fake it!"

"You hate me that much, huh?" Kou tilted his head to the side.

"That's not the issue."

"Then what is? Are you looking to be a nun or something?"

"C'mon, Kou-"

"You know, given your looks, that might be the best route for you to take. I can respect your celibacy if-"

"I have a-!" She caught herself too late.

Oh.

Oh, _no_.

Maybe he hadn't heard her.

 _No_.

Kou lit up like an overly enthusiastic mom's suburban Christmas display. "You never told me you had a _boyfriend_ , kitten!"

She'd deliberately withheld a _lot_ of details on her personal life from them. Holy _fuck_ , had she ever slipped up. With the boy with the truth-seeing magic eye, no less. _Shit_.

"What's his name?" Kou hopped up from his desk and practically skipped over to her. "How long've you two been together? How'd you convince him to date _you_?"

Okay, now he was just being cruel.

He took her hands in his, beaming. Kou was cheerful now, but when was he going to flip the switch and turn into the creature that regularly plagued her nightmares?

Sunny couldn't say anything. She could barely breathe.

"You know, you're pretty cute when you're flustered." He was leading her deeper into his bedroom. She could feel her exit getting impossibly far away behind her, despite only being a few meters from the hallway. Kou hummed to himself. "Of course, most girls are cute when they're flustered. That might've been a loaded compliment on my part."

"I-it would've been fine if you'd left it at that," she stammered. "Look, I… I really shouldn't be alone in your room with you if-"

"Whaaat? No!" Kou flopped onto his loveseat and patted the seat next to him, expectant. For once, his cheeriness didn't waver when she ignored him. "I just wanna chat."

"There isn't much to chat about." Sunny's nails ground into her palms.

He frowned, then dragged her down next to him. "There's plenty to chat about. So? Who's the lucky guy? _We~elllll_ , if you can call him that…"

"Stop being mean. I don't want to talk about this."

"Oh, hush." Kou reached out and ruffled her hair. "That wasn't an insult. I'm only saying that long-distance relationships are hard, kitten. They're complicated."

"We're doing fine." This was ridiculous. Kou was the last person she wanted to be talking to about this.

"How do you know? Have you talked to him recently?"

What an asshole. He knew the answer to that. Sunny was certain that was why he'd asked in the first place.

"Mmm. Didn't think so." Kou's hand trailed down to cup her cheek. "So tell me… what's your plan, kitten? Escape from here, go home, and live happily ever after with your boyfriend?"

That wasn't… entirely accurate. "Leave me alone."

"Okay, let's say you do manage to sneak past us," he began. "Run the twenty kilometers to town without us noticing or catching up. Get by without alerting our countless familiars. How can you say for sure that your boyfriend will be there waiting for you, huh?"

"Look… I know… you've never even met-"

"And even if he's still waiting, why would he take you back?"

Sunny froze, eyes wide. "…what are you talking about?"

"You haven't written to him in forever. It's not like you've got the looks or even a decent body to keep him coming back. You've spent multiple nights in another man's bed. You said one of the Sakamakis kissed you, right?"

"I didn't consent to any of that," she whispered, hoping he'd stop talking, that please, _please_ , he'd just… shut up.

He didn't.

"Oh, but even if your boyfriend's a saint, you've still got to crawl back to him first. Which isn't going to happen. You'll die here, once we get what we want."

What?

Sure, the brothers wanted Yui here, and they wanted her compliant, and they wanted something, but… were they really going to kill her once they got it?

She'd considered it - she'd known all along somewhere deep down, actually - but hearing him say it aloud was different, and it stung.

"Oh, no, did you not realize?" Kou asked, stroking her hair. "I thought it was obvious, but I guess I might've overestimated you. My bad."

"But… I…"

"Oops! You're upset," Kou observed, brushing her hair aside to get a better look at her face with one hand an anchoring her head in place with the other. "Don't worry, kitten, I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but even though you're practically useless to us, Ruki's a bit fond of you. I'm sure your end will be as painless as death gets."

That wasn't the issue! Sure, she knew she held little importance to the Mukami brothers, but she'd always… tried to think of her situation in different terms. They'd kill her if she tried to run or talked back to much, but she'd hoped that just meant that if she died it would be her own decision to, ultimately.

For over a month, her life had been dictated by the moods and whims of the vampires around her, yes, but she at least believed she had enough agency in her own life to keep those whims from spiraling into murderous impulses. She could control, or at least _try_ to control, her own actions to keep them in decent moods.

Now, there was an end off in the distance, and she was hurtling toward it without even knowing what it _looked_ like.

She'd just been stumbling around in the dark this entire time.

Why even bother?

Kou looped an arm around her back and pulled her into a hug that she didn't have the energy to resist, patting her head as if she were a small, lost child. "Hey, don't look so sad. You're a really ugly crier, you know."

 _"Don't be sad, Sunny."_

Azusa's voice echoed in her head, now of all times.

Her gaze drifted over to the window, where golden filaments seeping through the glass and cracks in the curtains bled onto the carpet to hint at the rising sun outside.

 _"I also… want to carve pumpkins with you."_

A small, dry smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

 _"Cheer up, Sunshine. I'm not going to break up with you because you suck at throwing darts. You're too cute for me to do that. If you really want the big sheep, maybe we can win this stupid, rigged game together?"_

She wasn't "practically useless" to them after all, was she? Yuma constantly bothered her about the garden, Azusa liked her enough to want to carve pumpkins with her, and even _Ruki_ could stand her, according to Kou. And it wasn't like she didn't try to help out when she could. The brothers deliberately kept her from doing so. If she was useless to them, it was their own damned faults.

Kou was just bitter and stupid. And an asshole. She wasn't useless! Fuck him!

"I'm not useless." The three words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them. Okay, maybe Kou wasn't the _only_ stupid one.

He laughed, then pushed her away and held her by her shoulders an arm's length away, studying her. "Huh. You still believe that."

Rage boiled behind her eyes. "Fuck you."

One eyebrow quirked up. "Oh, so that's how it is. I won't argue against spite being an excellent motivator, even if it's a bit shallow."

A strangled noise escaped from the back of her throat. Sunny wiped furiously at her eyes and nose. "You're right, it is an excellent motivator, so I don't _care_ if it's shallow! And you know what, Kou? I'm not going to let you guys kill me. I won't let you! I'm… I'm going to survive this."

"Hm. Not as much conviction now, huh kitten?" Red glowed behind his bangs. _Damn_ it!

"Well…" she stammered. "You're right. I can't say I'll live for sure, but… I'm not going to give up and start planning my own funeral. Ever."

Kou giggled. "That makes sense. You can be pretty stubborn, can't you? I'm not a big fan of your attitude, but I can respect your delusions."

"They aren't delusions."

"Sure, sure!" The way he waved his hand to dismiss her statement made Sunny clench her teeth together until her jaw protested, but she chose to remain silent.

Some time passed. Sunny watched him, wary and anxious and frustrated, trying to anticipate what his next move would be. She was pretty awful at figuring him out.

Kou tilted his head to the side. "I suppose I have been pretty cruel to you recently. That _is_ why you came here, isn't it?"

"Yes. You have been."

"Would you like something for your troubles?"

Huh? What was he talking about? Was he serious? Was this a joke? "I'm… I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"We live in a give-and-take world, kitten." He twirled a lock of her hair in his fingers, and she stiffened. "You've been putting up with me so well. You didn't even complain when I took your blood. It's only fair that I reward you for that, right? So? What would you like in return?"

This was too weird.

She hadn't been expecting him to offer her something, and her brain whirred about, thinking about all the things that she had done without for so long. Running shoes. Runs in general. Access to a kitchen. Her eyebrow razors. Human decency. Freedom.

Of course, if she chose any of those things (if he _let_ her choose any of those things), wouldn't he keep tormenting her afterwards? Wasn't this just to clear his conscience?

"You don't need to do that," she said. "Really."

"No, I insist!" Kou clapped her hands together in his. "How about a pretty dress? Or another pair of shoes? A nice necklace?"

How fucking frivolous did he think she was? She didn't want a goddamned piece of jewelry after he'd just told her his brothers were going to _murder_ her! " _Excuse_ me?"

Kou's cheerful expression faltered, and she flinched away from him, nervous to see a familiar, unwelcome face. "Alright, _fine_! If you're going to be a bitch about this, I'll just decide _for you_."

"No, really-"

"Honestly. Most girls would _love_ to be having this conversation with me." Kou glared at her as his fingernails dug into her hands. Then, too suddenly, the anger dissolved, and he perked up and beamed at her. "I know! I'll let you sleep with me tonight."

"Um. How about a dress instead?"

"Toooooo late~!" Kou hauled her to her feet and half-carried, half-dragged her over to his bed. "It's not like your boyfriend will ever know. I'll keep this a secret."

"I don't want to sleep with you!" Sunny squirmed in his grip, but to no avail. He tossed her onto his bed and all but tied her up tucking her in, wrapping his sheets around her until she couldn't even wriggle against them.

"There! That looks snug enough." Kou put his hands on his hips, proudly surveying his handiwork.

"You're a terrible person. I hope you know that."

Kou frowned down at her. "Do you know what some girls would do for this opportunity?"

"Do those girls know who you really are?" she countered.

"Alright. Touché." He held up his hands in mock surrender, backing into his bathroom.

Sunny glared at the ceiling while he brushed his teeth, thrashing and swearing she'd never willingly go into his bedroom ever again. If she'd been smart, she would've told him she wanted him to stay in the classroom over lunch break, like she'd meant to do in the first place. Now, she had to spend a night in his fucking bed _and_ continue dealing with Laito alone afterwards. Also, what kind of shitty reward was _this_? At least his bed wasn't a twin. She could take solace in that.

Her struggles were producing something. The sheets were loose enough that she could move her arms, now, so she could throw them off and make a run for it if Kou snapped. With him this close, she wasn't sure she could get away from him, and she didn't want to risk making him angry by fleeing.

When he finally finished cleaning up in his bathroom, the sheets were no longer a hindrance to her movements, but she faked immobility anyway. Kou crawled into bed with her and threw his covers over the two of them, not once acknowledging her glare or even looking at her. Good.

Kou had his back to her, and he settled in quietly. Maybe he was done tormenting her for the night? This was fine. Totally… fine.

Sunny sighed, closed her eyes, and tried to convince herself that she was somewhere - _anywhere_ \- else to distract herself. Her favorite places came to mind. Mrs. Finnegan's kitchen in the afternoon, just before she took a batch of her cheese biscuits out of the oven. Jeannette's living room at night, trying and failing to do schoolwork as her parents watched their t.v. dramas. Derry's public beach, which smelled of sunscreen and candy floss and her father's cigar smoke. Anywhere but here.

Escapism was becoming one of her few joys in life. She couldn't _actually_ escape, but in her mind, she could be anywhere, be anyone, that she wanted to be, and no vampire was ever going to change that. No vampire _could_ change that.

She watched Kou's side rise and fall in a gentle, slow rhythm as he breathed, clenching her fists and settling herself, hoping he would fall asleep soon so she could sneak out and put this whole awful day behind her.

Remembering the glow of the t.v. and the quiet voices coming from within it and the warm darkness of Jeannette's living room made her eyes droop. Sunny's fists came undone. Though she didn't realize it, Sunny began to drift off herself, trading Kou's bedroom for a gentler, softer alternative, even if only in her dreams.

Dreams felt real enough to help her in the moment, anyway.

* * *

 **To the Guest that commented: Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciated hearing from you. Jeannette x The Guys is an odd pairing, I'll admit, and it miiiiight not be the best choice if you're hoping for a lot of content (*cough*), but I smiled reading it. You'll get a little bit more Jeannette soon.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading! I hope to have Chapter 12 up soon.**


	12. Bleeding Hearts

She woke when something nudged her leg.

 _Shit_. Sunny's eyes shot open, and she frantically looked over to where Kou lay. This wasn't supposed to happen! She was supposed to have snuck out last night!

His back was to her, so she couldn't see his face, but Kou's pajamas were slick with sweat, and she could pick out the outlines of a few vertebrae in the taut fabric. Kou curled in on himself, dragging the covers with him.

Was he… sick? Could vampires get sick? Kou gasped for air and rolled over. His eyes were squeezed shut.

He was having a nightmare.

Sunny's stomach twisted. She'd dealt with similar situations… more times than she'd cared for, but… those were with Ruki. Kou was an entirely different person, and he didn't seem to be invested in her well-being, for lack of a better way of putting it.

His arms obscured most of his face, but what she could see was twisted into a frown so deep that it cut wrinkle lines into his normally flawless skin. Tears streamed down flushed cheeks.

Oh, dear lord, what was she supposed to do? Ruki had strangled her the first time she'd woken him from a nightmare, and he was the calm, collected one in the family! There was no telling what Kou would do to her.

No, as uncomfortable, as utterly _bizarre_ as it was to see him like this, she should be taking this opportunity to get the hell out of his bedroom. She couldn't let her stupid, irrational heart get her into any more trouble with him. Kou had nightmares. Ruki had nightmares. They'd been dealing with them for years, and they clearly didn't want her help, so why should she stick her neck out for them?

Sunny slid out from under the covers and planted her feet on the floor.

A pathetic noise froze her in place.

"No…" he whimpered, pressing his face into his pillow. " _No_ …"

Sunny's heart hammered in her chest. She could… leave him like this, right? He'd be fine. This was fine…

"Stop it!" Kou's knuckles were white against his sheets. "Please… stop…"

This wasn't at all what she'd pictured when Kou told her he had nightmares. If someone had told her twelve hours earlier that a vampire could look this frightened and, well, _vulnerable_ , she'd have laughed in their face.

Seeing Kou like this was too much. She couldn't ignore him and walk away.

"Hey… wake up." Sunny gave him a gentle shake, keeping her voice soft and low. When he jerked awake, she kept talking, hoping to calm him down. "It's okay, Kou. You're okay."

His eyes were wide, almost as if _she_ was scaring _him_. Sunny tried to speak as gently as she could. "Really, you're okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

No response. Should she take her hand off of him? Would he react if she did? Talking seemed to be keeping his mood at bay, and she was too terrified to try something different, so Sunny continued. "Would you like me to get you some water? Is there anything I can do?"

 _Mistake_. Giving vampires a green light was _always_ a mistake. She withdrew her hand, trembling. "M-maybe I can get you something from the kitch- _ack_!"

He snatched her hand back and dragged her over to him as his other arm wrapped around her back, pulling her into an excruciatingly tight hug. Mercifully, he loosened his hold and allowed her to gasp and sputter after his initial squeeze forced all the air out of her lungs.

" _Stay_ ," he commanded.

Normally, she'd be upset (she wasn't a _dog_ ), but she could hear the waver in his voice. Now wasn't the time to give him a lecture on respect. Not with his face pressed into her chest. Not with him clutching her like his life depended on it. Not now.

Tentatively, Sunny reached out and patted him on the back, unsure of how exactly she should approach comforting him. "Um… do you… want to talk about it? Or would you rather I shut up?"

Kou didn't answer her, which she didn't really mind. What would she have said to him, anyway?

She studied the boy strewn on top of her. She couldn't see his face, but his pajamas were damp with sweat. Kou's bangs were slick against his forehead (she hated when that happened to her on runs), so she brushed them aside.

"You must think I'm awfully pathetic," Kou murmured, softly, after a few minutes.

"I don't think that." It was true. He wasn't pathetic to her; he frightened her too much for her to think of him that way. She'd call him a sadistic, heartless asshole before she'd call him pathetic. This was… strange to hear from him. Had she upset him somehow? He didn't actually think of himself like that, did he? "Do you, Kou?"

Kou stared at her, and Sunny curled inward best she could after he went without answering or even _blinking_ for an unsettling stretch of time.

"I mean… what kind of vampire has nightmares?" He smiled wryly, tilting his head. "Mm. I shouldn't even be telling you this."

He _was_ , though, so it must've been bothering him a lot. "Everyone has nightmares, Kou."

"I shouldn't be having them." His eyes bored into hers.

She squirmed under his gaze, nervous about how intense he had suddenly become. "Umm… I'm not sure-"

"I'm a vampire, aren't I?" His hands became fists, fingers twisting into the thin skin of her shoulders and making her wince. "If I met any of… _them_ … again, I could squish their throats in my hands like their bones were made of _pudding_."

"Hey, you're hurting me," Sunny whispered, desperate to get away from him but also afraid to cut him off.

"That's why I became a vampire, you know," he continued, looking absolutely manic. "When he offered us a way out, I took it without even thinking twice. Obviously, right? I was so weak, so _helpless_ back then that I wanted to... to…"

He stopped for a second, staring without seeing. Sunny tried to pry one of his claw hands off her shoulder, but the attempt only brought him back. "Those people are long gone now. I killed a few of them myself, but I didn't even know most of their names, and I don't think they knew who I was, either."

Kou's face distorted, teeth gleaming through parted, curled lips. "I suppose that's the only way you can treat someone like that. By pretending they aren't the same as you. That they aren't someone that deserves to be treated with decency."

Sunny cringed into his mattress and clasped her hands together in front of her face, hoping the friendlier Kou that she could tolerate would return. Whoever was on top of her right now was completely foreign to her - foreign and unhinged. His eyes watched her movement, glistening and clear and still, somehow, dark.

"You said you wouldn't like getting your revenge against someone that hurt you?" His fingernails dug through her top into her shoulders. "You don't know shit. You don't know how good seeing _them_ crying for once felt."

He was going to tear her arms off if this continued. Damn it, she had to say _something_! "Do you feel good _now_ , Kou? Does this feel good to you?"

"What, _this_?" he asked, giving her a squeeze. Sunny couldn't help it; she cried out as her bones creaked in his hands. "I love feeling powerful, _being_ powerful. This feels _great_ , kitten."

"My n-name is Sunny."

A switch flipped, and Kou's face contorted. "What was that?"

"I'm Sunny. It's the name my dad liked." She didn't know what to do, and when that happened, she babbled. At least when she babbled, she didn't have to think. "My… my mother… she wanted something more traditional, like Madeline, but… my dad thought that… thought that it was t-too common a name. They… th-they decided to ditch Madeline and… and c-c- _compromised_. So m-my name is Sunny Madeline Specht."

She was sobbing, and he was staring at her like she was speaking in another language (and maybe she _was_ at that point), but she couldn't stop. "I grew up in Derry. It's a town in Ireland a few kilometers from Lough Foyle and a forty-minute drive to the sea. We lived in a nice little flat and had a window garden with lots of wild raspberries and when I woke up I could barely see through the fog most mornings and my dad would wake me up and we'd all eat cereal together and talk about Dad's job and all the birds my mother saw on the way to work and joke about how we only ate cereal because she couldn't make toast without burning it."

Her chest heaved, and tears blurred him from her vision. "Maybe we grew up in different worlds, but… but… we were both kids once, weren't we? Why do you think I don't deserve the decency that you wanted, Kou?"

"Shut up." He snatched a fistful of hair in his fingers and tugged. Sunny hissed in air through her teeth, fighting to stay calm and failing to win against the panic in her chest and pain in her scalp. Kou shook her, gnashing his teeth. "Shut _up_!"

She went limp. He crouched above her, limbs curling into her like a spider trap. Kou looked absolutely feral, fangs gleaming and eyes sharp and cold. The skin of his face warped, and crevices forged in poorly-controlled rage marred his forehead. For a moment, they tottered on the brink, a vase frozen in the uncertain moment before either settling back into place or falling to shatter on the floor below.

When Sunny couldn't take it anymore, she tapped the vase, helpless to do anything but hope it would tip in the right direction. "Please, Kou. I just… want to be happy."

He launched himself at her, and fangs tore into the skin of her neck.

Sunny all but unhinged her jaw and shrieked - until a hand clamped over her mouth.

The bite was different this time, like nothing she'd experienced before. Like he wanted to do as much damage as possible. Like he wanted this to _hurt_.

And it did.

Kou was trying to kill her. He was either going to rip her throat out or drain her of all her blood or both, and all the thrashing she could do wouldn't have any effect on him because he was powerful and she wasn't. Against his hand, she screamed, desperate to gain some, _any_ ground.

His room began to whirl around her. She was going to throw up before she died at this rate. Would that ruin his covers? Oh, good lord, she wanted to inconvenience him in death somehow, but she didn't want to leave behind a corpse covered in vomit! It was too undignified!

Then again, she hadn't been much of a proper lady before she came here.

Maybe a pathetic, ugly death suited her.

Sunny tried to anchor her spinning world in place, but she couldn't focus on anything but the pounding of her heart in her ears and Kou's gasps and her own muffled cries.

" _KOU_!" a voice shouted. A few footfalls later, the jaws crushing her neck released as Yuma dragged his brother off of her. "What the fuck are you _doing_?"

The hand that she pressed to her neck came away sticky, but the wound wasn't gushing as much as it was trickling. She wasn't going to die of blood loss.

Azusa appeared by her side. His lips were pressed together and his eyes looked like snow globes, cool and hollow and transparent. "I can… take her-"

"You will do no such thing." Ruki stepped into her (narrowing, fading) field of vision and roughly brushed Azusa aside.

"What the hell? He's just tryin' to help, Ruki."

"I'm… sorry…"

"Don't apologize, Azusa." Ruki's voice had an echoey quality about it as he slid his hands under her shoulders and knees and lifted her off the bed. She was putty in his arms. "I shouldn't have been rude. I'm sorry for that."

The brothers continued talking, but she couldn't make out any of the words. Her head lolled to the side, and despite her attempts, Kou's room smeared around her, churning until indiscernible shapes gave way to darkness.

Slipping away felt lovely.

* * *

Rain pattered against the window she was all too familiar with. Sunny sat up in Ruki's bed, groaning when her heartbeat pounded in her ears to protest the movement.

She was surprised he'd let her stay here with her injuries putting his clean sheets at risk, but then again, the pile of towels beneath her looked like a pretty effective safeguard. Someone had also used entirely too much gauze in bandaging her neck. The pads protruded a few inches off of her skin, held in place by a neat, surgically precise wrapping job.

"Do you still think you can handle Kou on your own?" Ruki asked, watching her from his couch. No sympathy from him, huh?

"Okay, I get it," she said, trying to keep venom out of her voice.

"What did you say to him?"

"I didn't set him off. I just woke him up." It wasn't a lie. She hadn't helped matters by running her mouth, but Kou had woken up volatile even without her adding fuel to the fire.

"It takes a lot to push Kou that far, livestock. I've lived with him long enough to know that."

She shivered at his tone and the look in his eyes. "I um… I told him that I wanted to be treated better, and I guess… erm… I kinda implied that we weren't all that different."

"Which is untrue."

Sunny would have loved to challenge his assertion, but knew that she was treading on eggshells. "I wasn't trying to rile him up. Should I apologize?"

"You should stay away from him for the next few days. You're lucky he has a concert this weekend."

"I didn't want to upset him."

He snarled, and the intensity of it startled her. "I don't care what your intentions were. If you hurt one of my brothers again, I'll make you wish Kou had killed you. Do you understand?"

Her tongue was jelly in her mouth, so she nodded.

Ruki didn't say anything for a moment. Sunny couldn't move. His icy grey eyes held her in place. "It's time for me to change your dressings."

She managed to tear her eyes away from him for a fraction of a second. It was just past ten o'clock at night, meaning he'd stayed behind to watch her. "I-I'm sorry."

"While I dislike what skipping class does to my attendance record, I do not mind missing lectures on information that, for the most part, I already know."

He sat beside her on the bed, and she adjusted and put her feet on the floor, clasping her hands tightly in her lap to keep them from shaking. Ruki unwound the bandages in silence. Sunny averted her eyes, counting in fives.

"Am I ever going to get Conrad back?" he asked, slowly peeling off the gauze.

She winced. "I'm still working on it."

"It's under a hundred and fifty pages, isn't it?"

"I'm a slow reader."

"Clearly."

"In my defense, it's difficult to focus on a book when you're… um… stuck like this."

"I suppose." He ran an alcohol wipe over the wounds. Somehow, the wipe was warmer than his hands. "Do you like what you've read?"

She'd read the first part, and even what few pages she'd read she had to keep going back to. Her mind kept wandering off, and she'd realize she had skimmed eight paragraphs in fifteen minutes and couldn't remember a word. "It's… um… I like the imagery."

"You're struggling with the language."

Sunny grimaced. "Yeah."

Ruki sighed, pressing a wad of gauze against her neck with one hand and looping cloth around her neck with the other. "Figures."

"He doesn't have to use that many words."

"His work is better for it."

"Maybe, but it's much harder to get through. It's taking me forever, and I'm kinda getting sick of reading it."

"Then return the book."

"I wanna know how it ends."

"I could just tell you." Ruki tied the wrapping in place, glaring at her. "If you're only invested in the plot, why bother struggling with the prose? Do you even think you'll finish it?"

"I don't know," she whispered, trying to build up the courage to counter him. "Do _you_ think I will?"

"Judging by this conversation? No."

"No… do you think I'll have _time_ to finish it?" Sunny stared down at her white-knuckled hands. "And why should I even _care_?"

Ruki's mouth was a thin line. "Excuse me?"

Her shoulders hunched. "Last night, before everything that happened, Kou told me that… that… you guys are going to kill me once you get what you want from Yui. If that's true, how can you… why are we talking about _Conrad_ right now?"

"What would you rather talk about instead?"

"I don't know. Nothing feels right." She couldn't discuss anything that might help with _him_.

"How about continuing to live? Does that feel right?"

Hearing it aloud was raw and unwelcome. Sunny leaned forward and pressed her face into her hands.

"Azusa told he was worried about you."

Her fingernails dug crescents into her forehead and cheeks.

"He said you looked unsure of whether or not you wanted to continue living."

Tightness rose in her throat.

"What is it that you want?"

"I want to go _home_ ," she sobbed. "I _do_ want to live, but _not here_!"

"That isn't an option."

" _I_ don't have _any_ options."

"I am giving you two."

She curled into herself, shaking her head and trying to control her heaving chest.

"Based on your and Eve's affects, I would not have guessed that you were the weaker of you two." He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Posturing can be very effective."

Her hands balled into fists. She wasn't weak, just _exhausted_ , and who wouldn't be? Who wouldn't get sick of getting dragged around and hurt by people to strong to fight back against? Of having no control over their own life? Of the only constants in that life being terror and occasional violating assaults? She could barely speak, and her words came out in spurts. "You can keep Yui around even without holding me hostage. Why are you giving me a choice?"

"You can be of use to me yet." Ruki conceded. "But not as an empty shell. Cruel as you must think I am, I do take care of my possessions when they can serve my purposes."

"And how long do you think I'll be able to serve those purposes?"

"I don't have an answer to that."

Him not knowing something? She barked out a laugh. "That's reassuring."

Ruki ignored her bitter sarcasm. "Have you ever read Conrad aloud?"

Confused, she tilted her head to stare up at him. "What?"

"I'll take that as a no." Sunny flinched as he moved to collect the leftover wrappings. "Do you prefer chamomile or peppermint tea?"

"Chamomile," she said, eyeing him as he stood to pack the gauze in one of his drawers (suspicious that he had a drawer full of medical supplies, but okay). "Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to get us some," he answered, and while Ruki didn't explicitly tack on an "obviously" at the end, it hung in the air nonetheless. "You will stay here until Kou leaves for work."

To further drive his point home, he locked her inside on his way out. Sunny stretched her sleeves over her fists and pawed at the tear lines on her face once she could no longer hear his footsteps.

She was alone in his room. He'd left her alone in his room.

Was this a test? Even if it was, it presented an opportunity that she hadn't dreamed she'd get; a chance to snoop.

Anywhere else, the thought of rifling through someone's personal belongings would have made her uncomfortable, but normal rules didn't apply here. They were holding her hostage and might kill her at any moment. She could snoop.

Of course, what good would looking through his belongings do? Even if she found evidence of criminal tax fraud or the bones of fifteen murdered girls in his closet, what would come of it? It wasn't like they were going to let her waltz over to the police station to present the evidence.

Still. Sunny rolled out of bed and padded over to his desk. Maybe she could figure out what they were after and try to slow them down. A frame had been tipped over, and Ruki wasn't the type to accidentally bump into things. She righted the photograph.

A young boy sat between his parents. The photograph looked old - they all had austere expressions and the woman's dress was anything but modern. Unmistakably, all three looked like Ruki in some way or another. The man in particular was almost a spitting image, except he was a few years too old and his kind eyes were too soft to be her captor's. Did that mean that…?

Sunny laid the photograph back down. Catching a sliver of Ruki's life was electrifying, and guilt congealed in her stomach and shot through her veins. This was a far cry from what she'd heard from Kou. How had one Mukami grown up parentless in the sewers while another lived well enough to have his family photo taken alongside a man in a suit and a woman in an expensive-looking dress?

She peeked at the photo again. The boy must have been… him. He couldn't have been more than eight or nine in it, but the expression he wore even at that age was one she was familiar with, and it was odd to see it on a child.

His desk was empty for the most part, and there was nothing of note in its drawers, so she drifted over to his bookshelf. Sunny didn't know what she'd been expecting - classics or philosophy, maybe? - but seeing rows and rows of cookbooks surprised her. Ruki did love to cook for his brothers, but it was clearly more to him than a responsibility. She should have realized that.

One of the cookbooks' spines was more worn than the others. Sunny pulled it off the shelf. The book was written in characters she understood, but a language that she didn't. She flipped through the pages, being careful not to fuss too much as many of them seemed ready to fall out, but couldn't understand any of the words except one on the inside cover: Romania.

"There are some good recipes in there. My brothers put up with _Cozonac_ once a year."

She startled and nearly dropped the book, but didn't. Good thing. Ruki had his hands full with the tray he was holding. "W-what's _Cozonac_?"

"Sweetbread."

"Oh! It looks like you use this cookbook a lot."

Ruki set the tray down on his desk, eyeing her suspiciously. "Yes."

"Why Romanian food?"

"Transylvanian," he corrected, looking slightly… miffed. "It's where we grew up."

"You grew up in _Transylvania_?" she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

His eyes narrowed. "Is that funny?"

She backtracked. "No, it's just… vampires… _Transylvania_ … um. Never mind."

"You've never even read Stoker's _Dracula_ , have you?"

"Erm… no. Do you recommend it?"

"No."

Sunny covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Okay, fair enough. I haven't seen you make Transylvanian food yet, though. Don't you guys like it?"

"It's food from my… from _our_ past." Ruki said. "I try not to remind them of that."

She winced. "Sorry if I brought it up. Well… I'd love to try _Cozonac_ if I'm still around for it."

"Perhaps." It was a bad joke, and he didn't laugh. Ruki took a seat on his couch and patted the area next to him. "Come."

It was her turn to be suspicious. "What's this about?"

He picked up her borrowed copy of _Heart of Darkness_. "You said you wanted to know how this ended."

While she didn't know if he had put anything in her tea, it would be rude to ignore the effort he'd put into making it for her, so Sunny picked up her mug and sat down beside him. "I'm still not following you."

"You said you couldn't focus on it, so I'm going to read it aloud," Ruki explained. She could have done without his condescending tone.

"That's… why are you being nice?"

"Don't take kindness for granted."

"What did you put in this tea?"

"Honey." He opened the book up to where she had dogeared a page, frowning at the crease. "Please use a bookmark next time."

She sipped her tea. While it was delicious, the fact that she couldn't taste cyanide didn't mean that there wasn't any _other_ poison in it. "Ruki, please. This is really weird. What's going on?"

"You can be incredibly frustrating sometimes," he said. "I can tell that you are struggling, livestock. I already told you, I have no interest in keeping you around if you lose yourself, and I dislike the idea of keeping someone that does not value her own life in my house."

"And how is _this_ going to help?" Sunny drew her knees to her chest.

He sighed. "You want to know how Marlow's story ends, don't you? Isn't that reason enough to live?"

"That's an awfully small reason," she countered. "What happens when I finish the book?"

"You read another. Or find something else to do. You don't need to have a grand reason to exist, and given how insignificant human existence is, I think you'd be better off finding lots of smaller, simpler reasons."

Rich of him to imply that she didn't matter all that much, considering. Her nose wrinkled. "Were _you_ insignificant as a human, then?"

"Before I changed? Absolutely. Can I begin, now?"

Sunny stared at him, lost for words. He viewed his former self that way? His humanity?

"I will take your silence as permission."

"I'm sure you weren't insignificant."

Ruki's lips thinned. "That's a bold claim from someone with no knowledge of my past."

"How old were you when you turned?" Sunny pressed. It was foolish of her to do so, definitely, but _her_ pride was on the line as well. "You can't be much older than I am. How can you say that you wouldn't have become anything when you grew up?"

"I would have died a worthless orphan. We _all_ would have died had he-"

Ruki stopped himself. His hands clenched into fists, and Sunny squished her knees to her chest. He was clearly upset at himself for giving her even that crumb of information, and she knew what could happen when they were upset. She wasn't about to let him retaliate against her for his own damned mistake.

Sunny placed a shaking hand on his arm. "So you were grateful to be turned into vampires."

The gesture backfired, and Ruki bared his teeth. "I don't want your pity."

"I'm not pitying you," she said, giving his arm a light squeeze. His shoulders drooped a bit - a good sign - and she continued. "If you want to know how I feel, I'm concerned and frustrated. I'm frustrated because you insisting you didn't matter is hurting my case, and I'm concerned because I don't like seeing people upset, and I _especially_ don't like seeing you guys upset because the last time I upset one of you I nearly got my throat ripped out! It isn't pity!"

"It's selfishness, then."

She could see the smile tugging at his lips. He wasn't completely wrong, but knowing that his observation wasn't totally right made something bubble in her chest. "You know what? Sure! It's selfish! I don't think I'm under any obligation to be a fucking angel in this house, though. _You guys_ certainly haven't been!"

His mouth was tight-lipped and twisted, but the expression Ruki wore obviously stemmed from amusement. She'd never seen a clear smile on him before (even if this one was small and dry), and if she might have been stunned into silence had she not been so annoyed with him. "This isn't funny!"

"I swear, you haven't a single trace self-preservation in you." Ruki shook his head. "I appreciate your honesty, though."

It was her turn to frown at him. Sunny screwed her lips shut and wrinkled her nose. She was still around, so she was clearly doing _something_ right. It wasn't like she was just scraping by on luck and good graces; she would have been long-dead had that been the case. She clenched her jaw shut, aching to correct him but unwilling to risk it.

"I won't say I dislike how transparent you are with your feelings, either. You've always been an open book in that regard," Ruki sighed, ironing out the crease she had left in his novella. "Do you want me to read, or would you prefer to sulk until the others return?"

"No, go ahead." The joke was on him. She could listen to him read _and_ sulk.

"Why did you mark this page? The beginning of Section Two is clearly labeled." His voice dripped with frustration.

"I was really… tired?" She couldn't conjure up enough bluster to back up her weak excuse, and Ruki side-eyed her with contempt as he tried to iron out the crease yet again. A pathetic apology slipped out. "Um… I'm sorry. I'll use a bookmark next time."

"Good." He set the book down on his lap, and she gripped the teacup in her hands close to her chest as if that would do any good as a shield should he try to attack her. Sunny hadn't fully ruled out that possibility yet.

Ruki's shoulders dropped as he looked over the page. Sunny hadn't realized it before, but he was much less… stiff when he had a book in his hands. Austerity gone and posture relaxed, she could almost believe that he was - physically, at least - _her_ age. The way he carried himself made her forget that.

 _"'One evening as I was lying flat on the deck of my steamboat, I heard voices approaching…"_

Steam curled up from her teacup and dissipated in the air. Ruki's voice wasn't the most expressive (her dad had been much better at reading aloud), but it was low and kind of soothing, in a way. It wasn't like Conrad wrote a lot of intense action scenes anyway. The man loved his page-long descriptive paragraphs.

Sunny sipped her tea and listened to Ruki read about the manager and his uncle's treachery and deceit. Hearing the sentences separated into dialogue _did_ help, and the chamomile tea with honey _was_ delicious, but she'd never admit either of those things aloud. Instead, she focused on not slurping her drink.

Tonight, his room was warm and the lighting was dim and - for once - she almost felt at ease. She tried to peek at the pages from the other side of the couch as he read, but the print was too small, so she gave up and inched closer to him. Just close enough to watch the words fly by. Ruki paused for a moment, and she tensed up, but he only tilted the book so she could better see it.

He looked smug as hell, but she'd let that slide. Just for tonight.

As she finished her tea, it became harder and harder to keep listening to him. Sunny found herself sinking into the couch, and her eyelids drooped as fewer and fewer words reached her. The empty teacup rested in her lap.

The room around her blurred, the taste of honey soured her tongue, and, finally, Ruki's voice faded as Sunny drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I've also finished editing Chapter 13, so that should be up in the next few days.**

 **I'm still doing the character poll, and I'd really appreciate getting some responses!**

 **See you soon with Chapter 13!**


	13. The Storm

Sunny stared out the window as the Mukami's limousine pulled in front of Ryoutei Academy yet again. Another day, another chance to actually learn something. Or to get terrorized by Laito while Kou looked the other way. Whichever.

Her grades had never been that great before she transferred to Japan, and now they were abysmal here.

She tried to keep up with her studies, but couldn't focus on her readings. Simple page-long writing assignments took hours, and she didn't have hours to spare. Additionally, Sunny always felt drained, both literally and figuratively. Getting out of bed in the evenings sapped her of her strength, and her lectures wrung her mind out and left her feeling like a limp dishcloth clothespinned to a line dryer. Exhaustion pooled under her eyes.

Another day of lectures went in one ear and out the other, and her notebook remained pathetically sparse. Laito was too close for her to actually listen to what her teachers had to say. How could she focus on the Meiji Restoration with death incarnate sitting right in front of her?

The day went by uneventfully, and she had to be grateful for what she could get. Uneventful meant no vampires calling her names or grabbing her in the stairwells or setting her up to fall off the roof.

When the final period ended, she picked up her notebook and followed Kou out (the blond hadn't talked to her since the incident last Thursday, which was another thing she could be grateful for). He'd still left her alone during lunch period that day, but Sunny could handle Laito when there were other people around. As long as the days remained uneventful, as long as she kept her head down and her mouth shut, she could handle this.

They met up with Yui and the rest of the Mukamis, and the six of them stepped outside, ready to head home. She would eat dinner and lock herself in her room and stare at her textbooks for five hours and learn nothing and then go to bed and sleep for another nine and wake up and repeat everything again.

Normal wasn't always reliable, though.

Shu stood in front of the Mukami's limousine, blocking their paths.

Without making it obvious to the other students milling about outside, Yuma and Azusa drew closer to her and Yui, flanking them in case there was an ambush on its way.

Sunny frowned and crossed her arms in front of her chest. It was Shu. He'd probably woken up disoriented and gone to the wrong limousine or something. She wasn't concerned. She stepped closer to Yui anyway, though.

"What do you want?" Ruki asked him. Questions in Ruki Mukami's voice sounded more like demands.

Shu leaned up against the limo, yawning, and Sunny noticed that he actually had a bag, which was strange because Shu Sakamaki never brought anything to school. Ever. Not even pencils. Sunny wasn't convinced he even knew where his classroom was.

"Reiji's cleaning the house. This was in the throwaway pile," he said, reaching into the bag.

Her heart snagged. Shu had Duke. _Her_ Duke. Her stuffed sheep. She'd just assumed she would never see him again, like she'd… probably never see _anyone_ from Ireland again. And yet… there he was, being returned to her in what might have been the worst possible way imaginable.

This would make the Mukamis mad. She didn't want them mad. In an ideal world, she would disappear into her room and only have to see them on limo rides and at meals and they wouldn't even realize she was _there_ most of the time. The longer they were focused on her, the higher her chances of getting bitten were. Bitten or punished for something stupid like breathing too loudly.

Sunny wondered if pretending Duke wasn't hers was the best option. She didn't have much time to debate that, though, as Shu was looking directly at her, so clearly waiting for her to respond that even Yui, who probably had no idea what was going on, couldn't miss it.

One by one, each Mukami brother turned to look at her. Oh, hell, why did Shu have to give Duke to her like this? Couldn't he have just stuffed him into her desk? Couldn't he have told fucking _Laito_ to give it to her? She'd take speaking to Laito over _this_!

When she didn't speak, Shu frowned. "This is yours, isn't it?"

Of course it was hers! Everyone knew it was hers! They were all staring at her! It couldn't have been any more obvious that the stuffed animal belonged to her! He didn't need to fucking ask!

Ruki was glaring at her, like _she'd_ summoned Shu to spite them or something. Like this was some grand malicious scheme on her part to… mildly inconvenience them (it wasn't).

Well, they weren't going to kill her on the edge of the curb in front of countless other students, and she wasn't going to melt into a puddle no matter how badly she wanted to. Sunny forced herself to look away from Ruki and nodded curtly at Shu.

"Okay, here." He tossed Duke at her. She caught him. He walked off.

The Mukami brothers herded them into the limo, and their driver pulled away from the curb.

In the dead, heavy silence, all eyes were on Ruki. She and Yui knew who was in charge, and who would act as judge, jury, and executioner. She and Yui knew that if either of them spoke up in her defense it would only worsen her sentence. So they waited.

Ruki tapped his foot. "What was that about?"

"I don't know." Her mouth was a desert, and the words came out crackly and hoarse.

"Have you been communicating with him?"

"Not since the… uh… stairwell incident," Sunny said. "And that was a one-time thing."

Ruki glanced over at Kou, who nodded to confirm her statement, then turned back to her. "And do you have any idea what may have caused him to approach you?"

"No." She hadn't seen him since her first day back. So… two _weeks_ ago.

Yuma crossed one leg over the other. "This one might be my fault."

Ruki's eyes narrowed, and he looked away from her (she exhaled). "Explain."

"I kicked 'im yesteday," Yuma said, flinching under Ruki's gaze. "It was more of a rough nudge. He's always in my way, and he never moves, anyway, so I nudged 'im down the stairs. He didn't even react."

"He didn't?" Kou's mouth hung ajar in giddy admiration, and the tension that had been building deflated like a sad balloon animal.

"Kou, do not encourage him. He clearly _did_ react."

"Sorry, Ruki."

"That must have… hurt. I'm jealous…"

"Azusa, _no_."

Kou dissolved into a fit of giggles, and when Yuma smacked him on the shoulder she could see mirth in his eyes. Azusa smiled at his brothers, and Ruki leaned back into the upholstery. It was over. Sunny finally let her shoulders droop, and Yui's hand reached out to grip hers. Danger could pass as quickly as it came.

Sunny watched Yuma and Kou as they made playful jabs at each other, and wished _she_ could have that luxury. Her hand trembled in Yui's.

* * *

Though she knew what he coming as soon as she heard Yuma's signature gait (heavy footfalls that were almost stomps) down the hall, she still flinched when he appeared in her doorway. A part of her always hoped he'd just pass her by.

"Hey, we've got a lotta work to do today, so get y'er ass out here."

Always a charmer, him. Sunny threw on the grungiest pair of trousers that Ruki had given her and glared down at her flats as she slipped them on. If the brothers all knew and accepted that she'd be in the garden every other day, why the hell hadn't they given her a pair of more sensible shoes? She knew the answer, but still felt a twinge of anger every time she put them on to go wallow in the mud.

The sky was grey when they went out, and density in the air told her that they wouldn't have long before it began raining. It was also chilly outside, but they hadn't given her a fucking jacket, either, so there wasn't much she could do about that. Wind whipped her hair into her face. Hair ties. That was another thing she would appreciate.

Yuma handed her the basket, and they got to work.

He never allowed her to pick anything herself, as he was convinced she was going to throw a bunch of green tomatoes in the basket or crush a red one into pulp when she grabbed it or something, so she spent much of their time together staring off into space thinking about the textbooks she could be mulling over. Today, she watched the sky and the darker clouds on the horizon that were creeping closer and closer by the minute. A tense calm. She had grown accustomed to those.

"We're gonna have to cover the plants today," Yuma said, eyeing the clouds himself. "Looks like there's a storm comin'."

"Okay," Sunny said, only half paying attention. She set the full basket down, and a gust of wind whipped her hair into her eyes.

When she brushed it aside, she noticed that Yuma was glaring at her, lip curled in a grimace.

He was the one brother that she could safely push, so Sunny pushed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"The other sow says that the NEET's never done anything but sleep. Is that right?"

Yuma was thinking about… Shu? Why now? The Sakamakis, _any_ of them, were always a sore subject, so she had to tread carefully. "Yeah… that's pretty accurate."

"I'm just thinkin' about all the not-sleeping he'd have to do to getcha y'er stupid stuffed animal," Yuma said. "You know?"

"It… it is kind of… _odd_ …" she admitted as her foot inched back. "Maybe he was just… just… bored?"

"Y'er right about it being odd," Yuma said, taking a step toward her.

A drop of rain fell onto her cheek, and more spattered against the cobblestone, mercifully giving her a chance to distract him. "H-hey, we should really get these plants covered."

"Why d'you think he gave you something back?"

"W-what are you… what do you mean?"

Yuma frowned at the pile of tarps they'd brought down. "He's known y'er friend longer, hasn't he? She lived with him for months. And you've only seen him once since 'ya started school again, right?"

"Well… uh… Yui told me she avoided him," Sunny suggested. She felt like a bug, slowly watching the jaws of a venus flytrap close around her and unable to do a damned thing about it. "M-maybe he remembered the stairwell thing?"

"Nah, that ain't it. The sow and I have had a few run-ins with him since."

A few? She had barely survived the _one_! Yui's resilience never ceased to amaze her. "I don't know, Yuma. It isn't… I don't think it's that big of a deal?"

His lip curled. Mistake. She'd made a mistake. "Do you know how aristocrats think?"

"Uhh… no…" The only thing she could think to do was play dumb and hope his anger ran its course.

"They still think you belong to them, because they're so used to havin' everything, all the time. Buncha spoiled brats."

There it was. The idea that she was an object, something that could be _owned_. "I _don't_ belong to them, though."

She didn't belong to _anyone_ , and Sunny tried to make her thoughts on the subject obvious through her tone. Saying _"I don't belong to you, either"_ was too big a risk.

Yuma's lips quirked. "Hey, sow, d'you wanna remind the NEET of that?"

He took a step forward, and she stepped back. Something told her Yuma wasn't saying she should tell Shu off, and his grin - which was all teeth - made her knees tremble. "I mean… yeah, but… I…"

Yuma bridged the gap between them by grabbing the front of her shirt and dragging her to his chest. Before he could brace her against himself (a classic vampire move), she slapped him in the face and twisted away.

He actually stumbled back, and Sunny skittered away from him, shocked at herself for an instant, before she came to her senses. A weak apology tumbled out, and she spun around and ran.

It was raining, now. Wet hair clung to her neck, and droplets peppered her shirt. Sunny's chest heaved as she took the steps up to the mansion three at a time. Gravel poked her feet, proof that her shoes were completely useless against the elements, but she didn't care. The mansion was seconds away. Hope blossomed in her chest. Maybe he'd let her go! Maybe-

A bruising force slammed into her side, sending Sunny sprawling. The backs of her knees hit stone, and Sunny tumbled straight into the back lawn's fountain.

Well, if she hadn't been wet enough from the rain, she was soaked now. Sunny gasped and sputtered, spitting out water as she sat up, and opened her eyes to see Yuma standing over her, holding her flats, which she must have lost without even realizing it. That said something about how fucking flimsy they were, at least.

"You forgot these," he said, snickering.

"Thanks," she replied, wishing she was strong enough to strangle him.

The fountain, like the air, was cold, and she was shivering. Yuma took off his shoes and set them, alongside hers, on the edge of the fountain before stepping over the ledge to join her. Sunny, who was trying to get out like any _sensible_ person would have, shrieked as he dragged her down again.

"Yuma oh my god if you're going to bite me can't you at least do it inside it's so fucking _cold_ out here-"

To shut her up, Yuma crawled on top of her and pushed her face underwater. Stunned, Sunny couldn't help but cry out, and bubbles of air raced to the surface. She thrashed against him, desperate for air, but it didn't do any good. Her emptied lungs squeezed against her chest, and in her panic she took in a mouthful of water.

When he finally pulled her up, propping her like a bloated doll against the centerpiece of the fountain, she was grateful that the frigid air and water could help hide the fact that her face was flushed and her eyes were bleary from tears threatening to spill over. He probably still knew, though.

Terrified he might force her under again, Sunny clung to him, fisting the fabric of his shirt in her hands as she coughed water into his chest. Yuma gave her a few seconds to sputter, then found the collar of her shirt and her bra strap and tugged them down, exposing everything from her shoulder to her collarbone.

She knew what was coming, and knew there wasn't much she could do to prevent it, but Sunny was cold and wet and miserable and wanted to be none of those things, so she opened her big, stupid mouth. "Yuma, _please_ -"

He responded cruelly, ignoring her plea and silencing her by fisting her hair and yanking, forcing her head to the side.

The bite happened, as it always happened, in spite of everything she did to avoid it.

* * *

Her hair was a mess. She knew that much before she even opened her eyes.

Sunny peeled herself off of a surface that was too firm to be her own bed - if she could even call the yellow room _hers_ \- and spat out a lock of hair, dragging her tongue across the roof of her mouth to wet it. The room around her was dark and unfamiliar, but she recognized one of the sweaters tossed over the arm of the couch across from hers.

Right. Yuma. She'd been gardening with Yuma and he had gotten hungry. That had happened before. Why was she _here_ , though? Being in what she assumed was his bedroom was different, and _different_ seldom meant _good_ with the Mukami brothers.

"Ah, y'er awake," Yuma said. Sunny inwardly scolded herself for noticing an article of clothing before the _actual threat_ sitting on the couch. Said threat grimaced, adjusting and crossing one leg over the other. "You fainted."

Yeah, she knew that. He was terrible at portioning. Sunny didn't know what to say, so she let the first thought to cross her mind fall from her lips. Like an idiot. "You sleep on a couch?"

"You gotta problem with my futon?"

Sunny blanched. "No, no! It's very-" she thought the pattern was absolutely _hideous_ "-practical! Thanks for letting me use it."

"S' no big deal." Yuma yawned. "I figured I shouldn't just leave 'ya outside."

She looked out the rain-spattered window at the trees convulsing in the wind. How generous of him.

Nervously, Sunny glanced at Yuma through her still-damp bangs and eyelashes, biting her lip. Whenever she felt that they were close to her due to anything but necessity… she got nervous. Her bedroom would have worked perfectly fine.

Then, Sunny noticed that she was wearing dry clothes. Dry clothes that were much, _much_ too long for her legs and arms. _Yuma's_ dry clothes.

Had he fucking _changed her_ while she was unconscious?

Yuma took in her expression. "What, did 'ya expect me to keep you in y'er wet clothes?"

"You wouldn't have needed to change me if you knew how to suck my blood without making me faint!" she complained. Her voice sounded much whinier than she would have liked. "Actually, I'd prefer you didn't bite me at all!"

"Yeah, that's unrealistic."

"It is not!"

"I don't get why you're so upset by this. Y'er body's a bit better than the other sow's, but it's nothing to brag about."

Nostrils flaring, Sunny jumped to her feet, clenching her fists. Unfortunately, thanks to _some asshole_ , she was lightheaded, and she stumbled, swaying on her feet.

"You sows are so high-maintenance," he complained, getting up himself and towering over her. Sunny hugged her arms to her chest as he put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "Open y'er mouth."

What kind of a request was that? Her eyes widened. "W-what?"

"C'mon, sow."

"Why do you want me to open my mouth?!"

"You can be so irritating sometimes." Yuma's hand shot out and gripped her chin, forcing her jaw open.

Sunny squirmed in his hold, knowing her thrashing would do little good. Yuma braced her head in place with his other hand and leaned in, eyes closed. She was going to _lose it_. Her vision was already blurry enough, but even the outline of his approaching face was too much, so Sunny squeezed her eyes shut at the last instant, going limp and still.

Yuma smashed his lips into hers, and something sweet touched her tongue. Her eyes shot open as he pulled away, grinning.

He thought this was _funny_.

"My sugar's pretty special, so 'ya better appreciate it, sow," he said, his voice dripping with mirth. Yuma reached out and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "Y'er awfully red. Did 'ya think something else was gonna happen?"

Sunny crumpled into a crying mess. She couldn't help it. The sugar cube melted on her tongue and oozed out from the corners of her lips, mingling with the tears.

Yuma took a step back. "Hey, hey, knock that off. What's goin' on?"

"By… by 'something else' did… did you mean a kiss?" she sobbed. "Because _yes_ , that's what… that's what I thought y-you were going to do… and you… you d- _did_!"

" _That's_ y'er idea of a kiss?" Yuma guffawed. He laughed! He actually _laughed_! "I mean, I knew 'ya were inexperienced, but _seriously_?"

A frustrated groan ripped its way out before she could stop it. The fear was leaking away, repressed by a growing fury that was trying to crawl its way up her throat. "You pressed your lips to my lips, Yuma! That's what a fucking kiss is!"

"Nah, I was just feedin' you sugar, sow." He reached out and gave her a playful shove.

"With your _mouth_?!" she screeched, nearly toppling over.

"If that's y'er definition of a kiss, isn't this our third?" Yuma asked, lips quirking. "I even used my tongue for our second one then, huh?"

"Shut up shut up _shut up_!" Sunny clamped her hands over her ears.

"So that's why you got so hot and bothered?"

She stomped her foot, hoping it would draw his attention away from her burning cheeks. "I was _not_ hot and bothered!"

Yuma laughed, again, and clapped her on the back. "Sure whatever. You could'a just told me that you liked me, y'know."

If her face could have gotten any redder, she would have darkened another few shades. Sunny grabbed a cushion from his couch and smacked him with it, gnashing her teeth. "I! Do! Not! Like you!"

He was outright cackling now. Yuma placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning in so he was at her eye level, eyes gleaming with glee that she didn't appreciate. "Are 'ya sayin' you'd like an actual kiss, then?"

Sunny screamed, threw the cushion at his face, and bolted out of his bedroom. Her cheeks burned and her breaths came out in gasps, and she wanted nothing more than to hide under at least five blankets and melt into her mattress and disappear. Peals of laughter followed her as she sprinted down the hall.

She didn't lock the door behind her (what good would that do?) or even take her shoes off before launching herself into "her" bed, drawing the covers around her and crushing Duke to her face. Duke was here, and she was so happy he was here, but… it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

The time she spent recuperating after confrontations, necessary as it was, would always feel painfully short, and if one of them truly wanted to bother her now, nothing she could do would be a good enough deterrent. Even recuperation came with constraints; the knowledge that it would end soon, and that it could end at any moment. Everything came with those constraints.

And that was the issue.

Sunny didn't fucking _like_ Yuma. She didn't like _any_ of them, for crying out loud! Survival was her number one priority right now, and even if the idea of cheating were table (which it _absolutely wasn't_ ), she wouldn't date one of _them_! Each and every one of them could smoosh her skull in their hands like a water balloon if they chose to, and that strength alone made a relationship among equals impossible, let alone the decades of life experience that they all had over her!

Laito and Yuma commented on how flustered she became whenever they got too close to her, and they were right about her reactions themselves, but their explanations for those reactions couldn't have been more wrong. Sunny wasn't enamored - or, heaven forbid, _aroused by_ \- their advances; the idea that one of them might someday make actual advances _terrified_ her.

She wouldn't be able to fend one of them off if they got serious. As much as she rejected their ownership of her (and always, _always_ would) her life wasn't her own anymore. Not really. Sunny couldn't do much but hope she flew under their radars.

She kept her head down. She tried her best to be polite and do whatever they told her to do. She behaved.

Her heart still crawled into her throat whenever one of them got too close. Whenever Kou's fingers brushed across her cheek before sliding back to entangle themselves in her hair. Whenever Laito turned around in his seat and drummed his fingers on her desk. Whenever Yuma patted her shoulder or jostled her from behind.

Contact wasn't something she could brush off as soon as her encounters ended. Reminders haunted her, whether they crept into her consciousness to interrupt her lectures at school or left her gasping for air and clutching at her bedsheets in the middle of the night. The ability to repress memories of conversations and touches wasn't something she had the luxury of being able to practice here, as much as she wanted to. _Yearned_ to.

Of course, she couldn't assume any of them actually liked her, either. They all seemed to view her as an existence inferior to theirs, and her assuming the worst of them was probably her paranoia talking. Better to be paranoid than dead, though.

Sunny gave Duke another squeeze, and this time, she noticed that something felt… off. She felt around his head, applying pressure to different areas. Something _was_ off.

There was something _inside of_ Duke.

She knew where to search. Carnival toys were cheaply made, and she'd always groused about the gap between one of his horns and his body but had never made any move to stitch him up. Sunny reached through the slit and fumbled around until her fingers closed around a piece of paper. Her breath hitched.

Sunny knew what it was as soon as she pulled it out. Loopy letters. Circles over J's. A return address in Ireland.

Shu had given her a letter from J.J. He'd given her not one, but two gifts in his retaliation.

Sunny burrowed under the covers. With shaking hands, she tugged the letter from the (already opened) envelope, struggling to focus on the words through the hazy blur of tears.

 _Hey, Sunny!_

 _Where are my Japanese snacks? You promised me snacks!_

 _Kidding, sorry! I'm sure you're very busy with your studies! I hope you've at least had_ some _opportunity to try some new dishes. I saw some pictures on Instagram of these little fish pastries (I think they're called Taiyaki), and they look super cute and tasty, so if you could try one and let me know how they are, I'd really appreciate it! Let me live vicariously._

 _Speaking of social media, I tried to look up your hosts, but I couldn't find much of anything. So? What're they all like? What does the mansion look like? Do you have any of their credit card numbers yet?_

 _Again, sorry for all the jokes. This feels really weird, though. Doing this all by hand, y'know? It feels like we're back in the olden days or something. It's not bad, necessarily - just different. Write again as soon as you can, though! I miss you. We all do._

 _Hope to hear from you soon, Sunshine!_

 _Lots of love,_

 _J.J._

She lay there for a while, clenching and unclenching her hands, which crinkled the paper. Every letter, every pen stroke was something of hers, something from home. If she had any choice, she could have stayed like that forever, clutching that piece of the life she longed to return to in her fingers as her breaths staled the air in her blanket cave.

There were things that she had to do, though. She had to be optimistic about this and hope J.J. had gotten her plea for help, and that she wanted information so she could look up the Sakamakis and get her out.

Unfortunately, things were more… complicated now. She wasn't staying with the Sakamakis, and she didn't know how to communicate that she'd been kidnapped and was now staying with… a family that included one of Japan's most popular heartthrobs. And she'd have to convey that information in a way that Shu or possibly even Reiji couldn't decode. And she'd have to get the damned coded letter to one of them even if she could craft it without one of the Mukamis noticing. This was a mess.

Sunny decided to leave her door open and took a seat at her desk. Good lord, how was she supposed to fit 'I've been kidnapped and I'm staying with Kou Mukami, famous pop idol Kou Mukami, at an unknown address' onto a letter the size of a piece of notebook paper? Even the previous 'HELP' had nearly driven her nuts.

No, she couldn't lose hope now. She'd come up with the previous letter on the spot, and now she had time on her side. She could do this.

She tried writing her coded message on one sheet of paper, pressing her pen into the notebook to create indents into the next page. Would J.J. think to trace the indents? Would it even be legible if she did? Sunny crumpled up the paper and threw it in her wastebasket, which she planned to flush down the toilet as soon as she had this mess figured out.

Sunny tried everything she could think of. Double-tracing some letters. A morse code border. Writing the code in pencil, erasing it, and then writing the fake letter overtop. They all looked too obvious, and she only had one shot to get this right, and her nerves were driving her up a fucking wall-

"Hey, it's time for dinner, you know."

Sunny's hand froze in the middle of writing the letter _M_. Holy _fuck_.

Kou leaned up against her doorframe, staring not at her, but Duke. "That's a really ugly stuffed animal, you know. Looks like it hasn't been washed in ages, either. Gross."

He was being as petty and mean as he normally was, which meant Kou hadn't figured out what she was doing. Sunny tried to still her frantic heart.

"Sorry, I'll be right down." She shut the notebook and slid it into her desk drawer, swallowing. Then, she stood, stiffening her legs to keep her knees from shaking, and made her way to the door, keeping her head down.

A hand to her chest held her in place. "Hang on, there. What's got you so worked up? Your heart's racing."

Her mouth went dry. She had reason to fear him, and he knew that, so she could make something up and it wouldn't be a complete lie. "Sorry, I'm just… nervous."

"I'm asking _why_ you're nervous." Sunny could hear the smile in his voice. Bile built up in her throat.

"You wouldn't like my answer." It was the best she could do. Coherent thoughts kept slipping away.

"Oh, are you concerned you'll hurt my feelings?" Kou giggled, removing his hand from her chest.

An out. He'd given her an out. In a roundabout way, this _was_ about his feelings. "Yeah, sorry."

"That's okay," Kou said, grinning down at her. Sunny forced herself to smile back, and he patted her on the shoulder. "There are things I hate more than getting my feelings hurt." He leaned in until he was eye-level with her, and Sunny squirmed as the hand on her shoulder became a vice. "Like _liars_."

Her mouth went bone-dry. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Let's try this again, _Sunny_ ," he hissed, digging his claw-hand into her shoulder. "Why are you so nervous right now?"

His magic eye was glowing, he was inches away from her face, and Sunny found herself unable to force a single word out. Her throat constricted, and when she tried to step back and away from him his other arm curled around her back. Kou's grin widened at her obvious discomfort.

"L-leave me alone," she finally managed to choke out.

"Wrong answer," he snickered. "Nice try, though."

To her horror, Kou's eyes drifted away from her to focus on her desk. J.J.'s letter wasn't there (she'd hidden it under her mattress), but the responses she'd spent the last two goddamned _hours_ writing were.

Kou looked back at her, and he smiled in a way that made her stomach churn. "That isn't homework, is it?"

The facade broke, and she started babbling as he dragged her over to the desk. "I'm really sorry it isn't homework please don't get mad-"

He frowned, turning over the pieces of paper, and Sunny realized that his English might not be good enough. What little hope had been building in her chest was stomped out by Kou's next few words.

"Huh. Looks like you might not be having dinner, after all."

* * *

"Explain these to me, Livestock."

Sunny had been practicing excuses best she could in her head. Excuses that were Kou-proof. Excuses that would keep two things secret: Jeannette and the letter under her mattress.

"They're… um… letters. In English."

The Mukamis (minus Azusa, who was watching Yui as the rest tried to figure out the best way to go about disposing of her corpse) all stared at her like she was the biggest idiot they'd ever had the misfortune of allowing to stay in their house. And maybe she was. She _had_ been sitting there writing letters with the fucking _door open_.

"Obviously. Letters for what purpose?" Ruki asked, sipping his tea.

"I was writing home," she said, clutching her hands together in her lap. This setup - the three brothers sitting across from her on the couch, her alone in an armchair - was really getting to her, and that was probably the point. "In case I ever got the chance to mail it out."

"And why did you decide to start now?" Ruki asked.

"I've done it before," Sunny admitted. Partial truth. She'd written letters for around… ten hours straight once, but that was in the Sakamaki mansion. Hopefully, they wouldn't figure that out.

"How many of these have you written?" Ruki pressed, holding up the letter she'd written with morse code decorations (stars for dots, swirls for dashes) around the border.

"Um… about… fifty." Some letters better than others.

"Have you read them yet?" Yuma asked. Kou looked at Ruki.

"I skimmed some of them," Ruki said, shuffling the sad pieces of notebook paper. "They're all addressed to the same person, aren't they? Who's that?"

Oh, fuck. "J.J.'s a friend."

"Okay, that wasn't _technically_ a lie, but it's definitely not the truth," Kou said. "Is J.J. the boyfriend?"

Ruki and Yuma's eyebrows rose. Kou hadn't told them yet? He hadn't?! Why couldn't they just get this over with and fucking kill her already?!

Sunny was sweating bullets, and, by some miracle from the Lord Himself, Ruki moved on. Apparently, her discomfort was answer enough. "So you've written about fifty letters to your boyfriend, J.J., none of which you've mailed out, since you arrived."

Only half of that was true. _Half_! Was half enough? "Y-yeah."

"Nope, that was a lie."

"Are you fucking kidding me? We just asked her about all that shit and you didn't say anything then!"

"She wasn't lying then."

Ruki cut Kou and Yuma off. "Have you written fifty letters or not?"

"Yeah."

"To your boyfriend?"

"To J.J."

"That's not what I asked."

"Can't we just move on?"

"No."

"Why does it matter who J.J. is? She's not a police officer or anything."

"She?" Ruki's eyes remained on her, but Kou and Yuma looked around to shoot each other glances. _Shit_.

Fear overtook reason. "Yeah, _she_ , and I don't want you guys using her as a threat like the Sakamakis did, so I'm sure you can understand why I'm being fucking vague about this."

"Wait… she mentioned her before," Yuma said. "Said J.J. was her nerd best friend."

Yuma had given her a life line, and she took it. "Yeah, from physics club."

"Fuckin' nerd."

Her shoulders relaxed. It seemed like Yuma had bought it. Her eyes drifted to Ruki, then to Kou, and then her heart dropped. Kou had an awful smile on his face, and his eyes crinkled as he tilted his head to the side. "And you guys are just friends?"

Sunny's blood ran cold. It felt like the time the principal asked her if she had beat up Jeremy O'Leary at recess when they both knew she was the only other kid in their grade that had come back from lunch with a bloody nose. She wasn't nine anymore, but the principal also hadn't been three vampires with a truth-seeing eye in their arsenal. Her nine-year-old self hadn't been the most rational being, however, so the weight of this situation felt about the same.

Kou's smile looked sweet, so _innocent_ , and yet… she knew better. He wouldn't have asked if he at least _suspected_ something. But even if he wasn't suspicious, in two seconds he and his brothers would _know_ if she didn't come up with an excellent lie.

How could she dodge a yes-or-no question? How the hell was she supposed to avoid this?

As she began to panic, Kou's little grin spread across his face, twisting his lips and revealing sharp teeth. He knew. She knew that he _knew_.

Her throat constricted.

When the silence stretched beyond the point of reasonable doubt, Kou barked out a laugh. "It's a good thing you aren't a _bride_ of the Sakamaki's anymore, huh?"

The bubble of tension that had been building in the back of her mouth popped, and, all at once, she was nine years old again in Principal Clancy's office.

Sunny burst into tears in the middle of the living room.

Wasn't this the third time she'd cried that day? In like… five hours? It didn't matter. Sunny hadn't cried like this since Shu had threatened to tell his brothers about the scars on her wrist. Since the first time she'd been bitten and not just mauled. Since the last time one of them had pried her fingers loose and ripped away one of the secrets she held close to her heart.

At that point, whether or not they cared about this didn't matter. Secrets were things she cherished, some of the few things that she and she alone owned and could give away, and they had plucked one from her chest and torn it to shreds right in front of her.

She hadn't wanted _any_ of them - not even Yui, who she hadn't been able to pin down as being too religious in the wrong ways or not - to know, and now they _all_ would.

Just like they all knew about how she dealt with having her foundations shaken when she'd had access to blades.

All credit given, she had to admit the Mukamis handled her bawling pretty well. Once they realized this wasn't just going to blow over, Ruki dismissed Yuma and Kou. By that point, she was a sobbing heap.

He stood and stepped close, towering over her as she curled into herself.

"I'm going to get rid of the letters you've written."

"I d-don't _care_."

Ruki fell silent and let her continue. Once her sleeves and the armrest of her chair were covered in snot and tears and spit, and the tremors that racked her bodies were echoes of what they had been, he pressed on.

"Normally, I bring out the riding crop for this sort of behavior, but… I believe this was sufficient. Be grateful."

Sunny hugged her thighs to her chest and pressed her face into her knees.

That must not have been the answer he was looking for. Ruki placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "You're awfully ungrateful."

"Is this your idea of mercy, Ruki?" she spat out the words.

He leaned in. "Do you have a problem with my methods?"

It was a challenge, and she didn't have the energy to take him up on it. "I get why you do it. Thanks for not whipping me after all that."

"If we catch you trying to write home again, the punishment will be severe."

Submission felt dirty. "I understand."

Gingerly, he gathered her in his arms. Sunny was slightly taken aback - this wasn't the rough carry that she was accustomed to - she thought it almost felt… gentle. Then, Ruki ruined it by opening his big, stupid mouth and speaking with his usual harshness. "I'll take you to my room and have a familiar bring you dinner. After you eat - and I _will_ make sure you eat _all_ of it - you will go to bed. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Him not bringing dinner himself meant she was under watch. She hadn't missed that implication of his.

"Would you like me to read you more of the Conrad?" he asked. "You do still care about it, correct?"

Sunny didn't miss the implications of _that_ question, either. "Yeah, I still wanna know what happens to Marlow."

His arms tightened around her. "Good."

She was exhausted. It had been a long day, and she'd bawled twice, and she felt like a wrung-out dishrag. Sunny leaned into Ruki, barely cognizant enough to notice when he tensed up against her. Even if she'd been fully alert, she wouldn't have cared, and he relaxed seconds later anyway. His chest wasn't the softest headrest, but it would do for now.

Ruki walked them out of the living room, and Sunny brushed her hair aside, closing her eyes.

* * *

 **Elena: Thank you so much for the lovely review! You're very kind. I already had this done and edited before you commented, which I thought was kinda funny - does it count as a Yuma chapter? Maybe? Anyway, thanks so much for commenting! I'll be doing my best!**

 **Thanks for reading and being patient, guys. See you soon with Chapter 14!**


	14. Little Rebellions

**Trigger Warning: Sexual assault. If you don't want to read it, you can stop reading when Laito (surprise) appears and start again 20 paragraphs from the end of this chapter.**

* * *

It was her day off, so Sunny and Jeannette decided to meet up and walk along the _Abhainn na hIascaigh*_. It was chilly, but winter was almost over, so they'd been stupidly optimistic and gotten ice cream beforehand. They ate in silence as they trudged along the banks of the river, pulling their jackets close and shivering in the wind.

"Next time, we pack thermoses of soup or something," she groused.

"Sounds good," J.J. agreed, quietly.

Sunny clutched the paper bowl in her gloved hands and pressed her lips together. The words that needed to be said crawled up her throat and died on her tongue.

J.J. hadn't noticed. "How's your mum doing?" she asked, taking another dainty bite of sorbet.

"She's fine." Her mother hadn't talked to her since she opened Sunny's spring term report almost a week ago. Which was fine. They both worked long shifts. Deliberately. She and Colleen McGettigan both liked to keep themselves occupied. "She's angry about last term, but it'll blow over eventually."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will," Jeannette said, before breaking into her signature quiet giggles. "Besides, knowing you, you got what, _one_ B-plus or something? She'll get over it."

She did get one B-plus. _One_. Jeannette was right about _that_ much, and she wasn't going to get into what _the rest of_ her grades had been. "Yeah. Hey, uh… speaking of school. I… uh… I got an offer from my mom's church a few weeks ago." A lie. _She'd_ sought the church out, not the other way around.

J.J. perked up, grinning. "Really? What's that?"

The tiny plastic spoon was in danger of snapping in her clenched fist. "There's… an academy in Japan that I could study abroad at this fall." The grin instantly dissolved, and her big, deep brown eyes widened. Sunny backtracked. "It's just for a semester, though! This school's really good, and there's this donor that-"

"Have you agreed to it yet?" J.J. asked. "Wait… do you even know any Japanese?"

"My Japanese isn't perfect, but it's alright. Four years of classes and five months of J-Dramas and anime. I should be fine."

"Why Japan, though? It's so far away from here…"

That… was the point, though, wasn't it? In Japan, she'd have sunshine more than three days a month and the seasons would actually change. Her early fall would be warm, and the sky would be blue, and she'd be able to focus on schoolwork. And she wouldn't have to go back to the same old house every night.

 _The house with cobwebs in every corner and and junk scattered across the un-vacuumed floor and dishes piling up in the sink (her fault_ and _Colleen's). The dead house._

 _"I wouldn't worry about it, kiddo. Everyone has off days every once in awhile."_

 _What about off weeks? Off months? Did people have those? A better response: "Okay, yeah, you're right, Dad."_

 _Hang up the phone feeling even emptier than before._

"I really want this, J.J."

"I'm sure you do," Jeannette said. "It's just… I don't know if this is a good idea. And I'll miss you if you end up going. Lots. You know that."

"I'll miss you too, you know."

"I know. I… I don't want to hold you back, either, especially if it's something that'll look really good on your applications."

"Yeah."

"If you went… you'd have access to WiFi, right? We could still talk?"

"Yeah, of course."

" _Ammi**_ would miss you too. Especially the baked goods you keep bringing over."

"Mostly the baked goods."

J.J. gave her a light whack on her shoulder, grinning again. "Shut up! She likes you fine!"

Sunny winced at the jab (sometimes she swore J.J. had more strength than she realized), but still laughed. "I know, I know! Jeez!"

Jeannette stopped walking and pressed one hand to her cheek, scrunching her eyebrows together and making an expression that Sunny knew all too well. This was a big deal to her. And of course it was. Why wouldn't it be?

"You haven't accepted yet, right?"

"No, I haven't." Not technically. She'd made up her mind long before this conversation, though, and this wasn't the response she'd wanted. Unconditional support, however, was too much to ask from anyone. Sunny had been expecting this. It still hurt. "I really want this."

J.J. pressed her lips together. "You've made up your mind."

It wasn't a question. "I'll talk to you every chance I get. It'll only be four months. I'm not leaving until September."

"That's a long ways off." Her voice was soft and fragile. She'd messed up.

"Hey, Jeannette-"

"You promise we'll stay in touch?" Bleary eyes. Twisted lips. Clasped hands. Words stuttered.

Sunny got up on her tiptoes and kissed Jeannette Jhajj on the cheek. "I promise."

* * *

When the teacher dismissed her class for lunch the next day, Sunny stuffed a folded-up piece of notebook paper in each pocket and made her way out into the hallway. She was on a mission today, and that mission was to find Shu. He was her only out at the moment, and she had to take every opportunity that came her way.

Sunny had a pretty good guess as to where he was, so she started down the staircase where they'd had the scuffle with Yuma, got on her tiptoes, and leaned over the railing.

Sure enough. There he was, half a floor below her, propped up against the same wall that she was looking over. Eyes closed, earbuds in.

She crumpled up a piece of paper and let it drop. The last time she'd thrown something at him hadn't gone as planned, but a sheet of paper was less offending than a travel-sized bottle of shampoo. At least, she hoped it was.

He didn't look at all surprised glancing up. One earbud out. "What do you want?"

"Thanks for yesterday." Was anyone listening? How cautiously did she have to approach this? Sunny decided that it was better to avoid potential misunderstandings. "I… uh… I got the note."

"And?" Shu asked. "I assume you came here because you want something. Do you expect me to mail your response out for you?"

"Mailing a letter takes two minutes," she groused, bitterly. "Whatever. No. I didn't have a chance to write anything back."

"Then why are you here?"

"When did J.J.'s letter get to your house?"

His eyes narrowed, then widened as his eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. "Oh. You're a coy one, aren't you?"

"C'mon, Shu, I don't have time for this. Please, just answer the question."

"I only gave it to you because the tall one got on my nerves," Shu said. Her nose wrinkled, and his smile widened and revealed teeth. "What? That's why you were asking, wasn't it? To see if I was on your side or not."

Sunny balled her hands into fists. "And you aren't. Clearly."

"Vampires don't side with humans." Just like that, the smile was gone. "Haven't you learned that by now? Going behind their backs isn't going to do you any favors, either."

"What am I supposed to do, then?" she snarled down at him. "Give up and die?"

"It might save you from future disappointments."

Sunny crumpled up the other sheet of paper and threw it at him. "I'm not going to do that."

"Do you know how many times I've heard that?" he asked. "Around eighty-three times."

"You can't-"

"You aren't any different from the others," he said, cutting her off. "Do you know how I know that? Your legs don't look as good as they used to."

Sunny wished she had brought an entire _notebook's_ worth of paper to throw at him. "What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"Humans don't lose themselves in an evening." Shu closed his eyes and adjusted, putting his arms behind his head. "Giving up is a series of little deaths. Here's a great example for you. Didn't you give up on running?"

"That isn't-"

"You said you ran because it made you feel like you were _worth_ something, if I remember correctly. Didn't you beg me to let you continue those at one point? I thought your runs were important to you."

"They _are_."

"How long has it been since you ran? You also liked baking, right? Have you done that recently?"

"Stop it."

Shu smirked up at her. "You get my point, though. You're going to keep losing pieces of yourself without even realizing they're gone, so why not just give in now? It'd save you a lot of trouble."

"No. I'm not going to give up." Sunny ground her teeth. "Me giving up pieces of myself… I'm doing that to survive, and there's nothing wrong with that. I don't think there is, anyway. I'll just start running and baking again once Yui and I get out of this mess."

The smirk dissolved in a flash of shock, which came and went in an instant. Shu glared up at her. "You're naïve if you think that's going to happen. Or maybe just stupid."

"Oh yeah? Well… well… I think _you're_ stupid! And your attitude sucks."

"Go back to class. You don't want your owners to find out about this, do you?"

"They aren't my _owners_!"

Shu tipped his chin up to gaze at her through half-lidded eyes. "You're delusional."

"You're an asshole. You're all assholes."

He put his earbud back in and turned away. "Go back to class before they come looking for you. I don't owe you anything anymore."

She stared down at him, bug-eyed. What the hell was he talking about? When had he felt he owed her anything at all? "Hey, you can't just leave it like that!"

Sunny stomped down the staircase, but stopped when she rounded the bend. He was glaring at her, and the cold fury in his eyes froze her in place and raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

" _Go away_." An order that left no room for compromise.

In a fit of terror, she obliged.

* * *

 _"Why not just give in now? It'd save you a lot of trouble."_

The words echoed in her head, making concentration on homework impossible yet again. Sunny watched as a sea of fog spread across the lawn, too furious to appreciate the calm morning.

Who the hell was Shu Sakamaki to tell her that she should save herself the trouble? _Everything_ was troublesome to him! He looked like he could barely even made it to his favorite nap spot on the staircase on a daily basis. A person like that had no right to lecture her on giving up!

Her fingernails dug into her palms. What kind of person waited for death to come to them? Even if she hated the mansion and its inhabitants enough to die (and she wondered if she _did_ sometimes), Sunny wouldn't want the Mukami brothers to do the job _for_ her. The thought of it upset her stomach.

She wasn't going to give up. Yui hadn't given up after six months. She could do two. Hell, she could do as long as she fucking wanted as long as she kept her mouth shut! And… as long as they didn't finish whatever it was they were trying to do. It would have been nice to know what they wanted so she could sabotage their plans. It would have been nice to know anything _at all_.

Off in the distance, something moved. It was still too dark outside to see much of anything, but she could gauge its size by the shifting shadows. It was… a wolf, wasn't it? The shadow slipped into a patch of dimming moonlight, and silver flashed.

It was a wolf.

Fury stifled reason. Right. The Mukamis had a bunch of wolves roaming around their property because they were _rich jerks_ and they, like all the other vampires she now had to deal with, loved to rub their superiority in her face. Well, she wasn't going to let their stupid rich-person guard dogs get in her way! They weren't going to intimidate her! Wolves were just big fucking dogs, and dog were stupid, beautiful, _loyal_ creatures!

Sunny would just have to make them loyal to _her_.

A smaller, more reasonable part of her screamed _"don't you fucking do this, Specht,"_ but not loudly enough. She grabbed Duke for support.

Two minutes later, Sunny crept toward the treeline beyond the garden, an unopened can of tuna (the best thing she could find) in one hand, a can opener in the other, and Duke tucked under her arm. The wolf was nowhere to be seen, but dogs had excellent noses and tuna reeked to high heaven. Did dogs like tuna? Could dogs even _eat_ tuna? She sure as hell hoped so.

Clutching Duke close to her chest, she stepped into the forest for the first time. Sunny kept the house in her sight as she walked, and when the glow of lights started to dim in the distance, she stopped.

All the things that could go wrong with this plan were playing out in her head, and she was starting to feel like a fucking idiot. But… she'd come this far, hadn't she?

"H-hey, anyone want tuna?" Her voice cracked as she called out into the woods. With shaky hands, she twisted the lid off the little can and started waving it back and forth in the air. "It isn't exactly fresh, but I'm sure Ruki don't feed you this, huh? He's a lot stingier than I am."

Silence. Dead silence. Whistling might attract the attention of one of _them_ , though, so she picked up a stick and lightly tapped the can with it. Still silence. She was definitely a fucking idiot.

"Aren't you guys hungry?" she asked the woods. Wait. That came out sounding bad. "Uhh. Hungry for tuna, that is. I am _not_ on the menu."

Bushes rustled behind her. Holy shit, had the wolves gotten the message? Did they _know_ that she wasn't on the menu? If they knew, did they care?

She spun around, and a wolf emerged from the darkness.

Having never seen a wolf in person, she couldn't help but be a little… surprised. Horrified, actually. Nobody had ever told her that wolves were this big. Or that their eyes glowed. Did wolves' eyes glow? She was pretty sure they didn't.

The can slipped from her fingers and clattered against the ground.

The wolf lunged forward, and she yelped and jumped back. Five seconds later, her bribery food was no more, and the wolf looked up at her, almost expectantly. It was so clearly asking _"Where's the rest of the tuna, idiot mortal?"_ that she could have laughed. Could have. The rest of the tuna was all the way inside, and she wouldn't even get back onto the front lawn before this monster tore her to pieces.

Tuna gone, the wolf growled. It was a low, guttural sound that sent shivers down her spine, just like Shu's glare had done earlier that day. This beast was beyond her, and they both knew that. Its jowls lifted, revealing enormous canines, and Sunny took in what she knew could very well be her last gulp of air, eyes darting back and forth to find the best tree and finding no good options. She crushed Duke to her chest.

"Hey, hey, back off, Anya," a boyish voice said. A hand landed on her shoulder. "No killing this one."

Sunny released her breath of air, staggering on her feet, and the boy steadied her. "C'mon now, don't faint, idiot. Humans are so weak."

While she was grateful for her savior, nothing he'd said had been reassuring. "S-sorry. It's just… near death experiences. They… they r-really take it out of you."

"I kinda like the adrenaline myself." He shrugged, and Sunny forced herself to look away from the wolf. The first thing she noticed was the eye-patch and the ruffles in his shirt. What, were the Mukamis hiring pirates, too? The boy jostled her, snickering. "You wanna sit down, lambchop?"

"I'm fine." Who did this jerk think he was? "It's Sunny, by the way."

"I'm Shin. You can feel free to add honorifics if you want. I highly recommend it, actually."

God. It was like meeting Ayato all over again. "Okay, and what do you do here, _Mister_ Shin?"

"I'm the wolves' caretaker," he said, grinning. "I also do some surveillance work, I guess."

Sunny bit back the urge to make a snide comment. "Are you… uh… are you like _them_?"

Shin laughed. "Sort of. Don't compare me to those guys, though. I wouldn't want to be compared to one of Karlheinz's lapdogs."

He was… one hell of an employee, wasn't he? More importantly… the Mukamis were acting underneath someone? "Who's Karlheinz?"

"Oh, wow, they really don't tell you much. He's the vampire king. One hell of a guy," Shin answered. He pressed his cheek into his hand, staring at her. "By the way… you aren't supposed to be out here, are you?"

"You aren't going to… please don't tell them."

"Mmmnn… _naah_." He said, waving his hand dismissively. "Watching you try and feed Anya canned fish was too good. You're a real piece of work, kid, but I'm gonna let you off easy. Oh, and you shouldn't tell them you know me. If you do, they'll know you went into the woods, yeah?"

"I'm not an idiot," she snapped.

"Sure, sure," he said, obviously fighting back giggles. "Well, if you're gonna approach familiars again, bring more food next time, got it? And take a bath when you go inside. You're sweaty and you smell like tuna. Gross."

"Alright, fine," Sunny said, shoving down the insults she wanted to hurl at him. The Mukamis had hired the meanest groundskeeper she'd ever met. Fitting. Her eyes drifted over to Anya, who was pawing at the empty can with her nose. He had done her a few favors, hadn't he? "Thanks for… uh… calling Anya off."

"Don't worry about it." The corners of his lips twitched. "We wouldn't want you dead. You're a valuable little bargaining chip."

Sunny's face scrunched up even as she tried to remain cool and diplomatic. She couldn't help it. "Nice meeting you."

"You too, lambchop."

She turned and looked back at the house, wringing her hands out and gnawing on her lip. Sneaking back in was going to be nerve-wracking. "Hey, Shin, do you know how I could get back in without-"

When she glanced back to where the boy had been standing, he and his wolf were gone.

She wasted no time running out of the woods.

* * *

Sunny didn't really like evening baths, but loath as she was to admit it, Shin was right - she _did_ smell like sweat and tuna. Oh, well. She'd pretty much given up on her appearance anyway.

After her piping-hot bath, Sunny toweled off her hair and swatted at it until the mess lay (limp and defeated) in wet globs against her neck and shoulders. Again, whatever. At least the snarls were gone. She walked past the steamed-up mirror, forcing herself to look away from it so she didn't get crushed by what might look back, and stepped into her room.

Ruki was waiting for her. Her breath caught in her throat.

"I have a request."

Requests from Ruki Mukami weren't actually requests - they were orders - but she held her tongue despite being a bit miffed that he had barged into her room without knocking first. "What's that?"

"Azusa's birthday is next week. I expect you to be on your best behavior. I will not hesitate to bring out the riding crop if you ruin it."

"You guys celebrate birthdays?" Sunny asked. "But… you're so… old."

"You will _not_ call Azusa old."

"I'll do my best."

"Good. His birthday is next Thursday. All I ask is that you behave for that one day."

Sunny ground her teeth. "I behave all the time."

"You hide in your room and do not speak to us unless we initiate conversation."

"Are you surprised? I don't really want to be your guys' friend."

"Azusa wants to be _your_ friend."

"And you won't let us be alone in a room together."

"That's for both of your sakes." Ruki sighed and pressed a hand to his temple, grimacing. "It doesn't matter. Can you at least _pretend_ to be happy in our company next Thursday? For the hour that it takes to eat dinner and open presents?"

"It's gonna take an entire _hour_?" Sunny caught herself and clamped her hands over her mouth when she saw Ruki's expression. "Sorry."

"Azusa is important to all of us. If he wasn't fond of you, I wouldn't be here. I'd probably lock you in the basement," Ruki said. He paused, almost smiling to himself. "Come to think of it, that would be a good idea for Kou's celebration…"

"You're hilarious," Sunny seethed, pressing her lips together. Well, humor coming from Ruki (dry and mean as it was) was a good sign. Her head jerked up as a thought came to mind. "Wait… I don't have a present for him."

"Why would he expect a present from you?"

"I don't hate Azusa, you know," she groused. "I want to be able to do something for him."

"It isn't necessary."

"I _want_ to. Isn't there anything I can do for him?"

"I doubt it."

Sunny scrunched up her face, pouting. An idea came to mind a second later, and she lit up, grinning. "I could bake him his cake!"

Ruki didn't look open to her suggestion. "And what kind of cake would it be? Cyanide? Rat poison?"

"Oh come on, Ruki, I wouldn't do that on his birthday." She also wouldn't be that stupid. "I make a good lemon-ginger cake. Do you think he'd like it?" Her grin spread. "Oh, and I could help him carve a pumpkin from the garden! Thursday… that's just before Hallo-weekend! It's perfect!"

"You're still hoping to do that?"" His lip curled. "Give it a rest. Also, don't call it Hallo-weekend. I feel disgusting having listened to those words. You do realize that Halloween isn't a big holiday here, yes?"

"It's a big holiday to _me_."

"We are all _well_ _aware_ of that."

"Azusa wanted to carve pumpkins, too. It isn't just me."

Wrinkle lines appeared in Ruki's forehead as his brow furrowed. "But this isn't entirely for Azusa, is it?"

"That shouldn't matter. Azusa wants this, and it's his birthday. You'd keep him from having fun on his own birthday because you don't want me to enjoy myself? That's tyrannical, Ruki. An absolute tragedy. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Responsibility isn't - we have _already had_ this conversation. Do not test my patience."

"Can I at least bake him a cake?"

"I want this to go well, livestock, and-"

"I used to bake all the time, you know. Back home." Sunny balled her hands into fists. "I helped run bake sales for my club, and I'd bring in biscuits and cupcakes for my friends' birthdays, and I'd go over to my neighbor's house once a week to swap recipes and chat over tea. I miss it. _All_ of it."

"Are you trying to guilt-trip me again? I've told you this before; appeals to pathos do not affect me."

"Oh, for the love of - _you're_ the one that - _fine_!" Sunny spat out the concession. "Set up for the birthday party yourself if you're _so convinced_ I'll screw everything up! It's just _cake_."

She was acting childish and not even being honest about it, but… the truth would've sounded pathetic. It wasn't just cake to _her_ even if it was for everyone else, and Ruki's raised eyebrow told her that he at the very least suspected she felt that way.

"I'll think about it."

In spite of everything, Sunny perked up once again and clapped her hands together, beaming. "Really? Thanks so much!"

The edges of his mouth twitched, and he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the contact, eyes widening, and the response drew a laugh (that was really just him exhaling quickly through his nose). "It's good that you're so easily pleased, but that isn't a yes."

"Y-yeah, okay," she stammered, shrinking back. Ruki nodded, and his hand slipped off, languidly, as he turned and walked out of her room.

Sunny's knees were shaking more than she could tolerate, so she sank onto her mattress, clutching at Duke for support. Softness coming from any of them always threw her off.

Bits and pieces of the conversation replayed over and over again in her mind, and she couldn't help but grimace and squeeze Duke close as, slowly, she realized she'd all but thrown a temper tantrum over pumpkin carving and birthday cake. She, a seventeen-year-old, had thrown a hissy fit over a couple of pumpkins.

On top of that, Ruki had won because she'd let him play her like a fiddle. She'd gotten so worked up over his dismissal of her that she'd settled for a maybe, and "I'll think about it" didn't mean anything at all. Knowing him, it probably meant _"No, but I'll let you down later."_ All that for nothing.

Why couldn't she have just left it at _"okay, I'll behave"_ and let him leave? Why did she always get combative with him and make things difficult? Why did _one_ conversation with Shu-fucking-Sakamaki matter to her _so much_ that it sent her stumbling into wolf-infested woods in a spat of blind rage? That she snapped at the one person in the mansion keeping Kou from ripping her throat out… over a goddamned birthday cake?

Sunny pressed Duke into her face and let out a frustrated, strangled scream. This was absolutely ridiculous. It wasn't just cake to her, of course, but at the same time… it _was_. How much pride was too much, and what mattered? It was getting harder and harder for her to tell.

Well, again… whatever. She knew she was capable of laying there for hours thinking about what she'd done and beating herself up for it, but that wasn't productive, and she couldn't afford to be unproductive. There were always letters she could dream up, and there was an exam coming up her social studies class. Studying came first. If she ever got out, she'd pay the price if she ended up failing all of her classes… which she was on track to do.

The desk lamp flickered when she turned it on, then illuminated the desk in a dim glow that was depressing, but not as depressing as opening the curtains to let in the sun (that she could no longer enjoy to its fullest) would have been.

Sunny opened her textbook and stared.

* * *

"You look awfully down, Little Bitch." Laito had turned around to rest his elbows on her desk. Which wasn't uncommon during the lunch hour, when Kou left to do everything except his one job. His fingers drummed against the margins of her textbook, making concentration incredibly difficult. "I heard you had a conversation with Shu. Did it go badly?"

"I'm busy, Laito," she said, nudging his elbow in hopes that he might move (he didn't). "Sorry, can't talk right now."

"Cold as always," he sighed in mock disappointment. "If your heart didn't flutter every time I turned around, I might forget that you had one."

"Look, it's nothing personal," she lied. "I just want to study for our exam next Friday."

"Would you like a partner?" he asked.

"I think I'll be fine, but thanks." Sunny tried to clip her words as much as she could without sounding hostile. Not that even the most open hostility would be enough to deter Laito.

"Are you sure? I've noticed you don't take very many notes, and, well, I thought you might appreciate the help."

She glared at him. "What's this about?"

"I'm just trying to help you out," he said, raising his arms in surrender and smirking. "Well… for a price."

"Not paying."

"Don't you want to do well on this test?"

"I can do well enough by myself."

"Half of this exam is on his lectures, you know."

 _That_ got her attention. "It is?" She hadn't been able to focus in class at all! "Shit, really?"

His eyebrows disappeared behind his bangs. "You've got quite the mouth there. And yes, weren't you listening earlier?"

Sunny stared down at her (practically empty) notebook. If half the exam was on in-class lectures, she was royally screwed, especially since there was no way Kou of all people was going to share his notes with her! She glanced up at Laito through her bangs. How steep could his price possibly be? Besides, she'd be safe as long as she stayed in the classroom. "Okay, fine. I'll pay."

"Fantastic!" Laito chirped, standing up and pulling his chair around her desk to sit beside her. "Where would you like to start?"

She scooched her chair to the side and leaned as far away from him as she possibly could. "Umm… I think I'm rustiest with Japanese government at the prefectural level. Also, Hokkaido is a different kind of prefecture, right? What does that mean?"

"Ahh, you're _really_ far behind." Laito traced her notes with his finger, chuckling. "Hokkaido has a few provinces, and it's much larger than the other prefectures, so we refer to it as a circuit. It's become more centralized, especially once we started putting in the railways, so it acts more as a unit nowadays."

Sunny cringed. His hand was _on her leg_. Nostrils flaring, she shoved him just roughly enough to remove it. "Can you not, please?"

"Do you want my help or not?" he asked, frowning.

"I could easily go to anyone else for lecture notes."

"Do you think they'd give you two weeks' worth?"

She stared at him, mortification freezing her lungs as the reality of the situation dawned on her. No, she _couldn't_ expect any of her classmates to do that much for her. This exam was important - thirty percent of her grade - and if she wanted to get out of this damned semester with anything other than trauma, she needed to keep her grades up. University was on the line.

Swallowing her pride, Sunny counted to five and inhaled. "Fine. So. The prefecture."

A sick smile crept its way onto Laito's face, and he went back to her notes. "Do you remember how many seats we get in the lower house of the National Diet?"

"T-twelve…?" His hand hadn't reappeared on her thigh yet, but she was waiting for it. _Bracing_ for it.

"Mmm… not quite." Laito flipped to a page filled with graphs that she didn't recognize. "We elect twelve members from individual districts, and then we put in eight more based on the proportional results. Close, though."

"But there's… four representatives in the upper level, right?" she asked, trying to keep her hand from visibly shaking as she pointed to one of the graphs.

Laito folded his hand over hers, and her breath hitched. "That changed recently." He guided her hand down a few paragraphs. "See? Magnitude changes every couple of years. We have five members right now."

"O-okay." Her hand was trembling as he (mercifully) released it. "So… in terms of local government…"

"Local government doesn't hold too much power nationally." His hand was on her thigh again. All the breathing exercises in the world couldn't save her now. "The prefecture does get some say in local affairs thanks to an autonomy law that was passed… after the second world war, if I remember correctly?"

As he spoke, his hand trailed up her leg, approaching the hem of her skirt. Sunny cursed the Mukamis for not buying her a pair of leggings - even _tights_ would have helped, damn it! - and clenched her fists in her lap to keep herself from smacking him. He wouldn't go too far. Not with everyone around. And she _needed_ this. "Local governments get most of their funds from the national ministries, though, so they don't have too much autonomy."

"Yup… I… I get it." Her throat tightened as his hand dipped under the fabric of her skirt. "Laito, c-can you please-"

He ignored her. "But as for local government…"

Sunny clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, quivering and wondering if this exam was really worth getting sexually assaulted over and deciding that it _absolutely wasn't_. Just before she had a meltdown, however, his hand stopped, abruptly. She peeked one eye open to sneak a glance at him.

Laito was staring at her textbook with an intensity that she'd never seen from him before. She looked down at the page, confused at what could have possibly riled him up so much. Her eyes went to the pictures first, and she scanned their captions.

Sakamaki Tougo. _Sakamaki_. "Holy shit," she whispered before she could stop herself. "Are you related to him? That guy?"

"That guy," Laito echoed, venom clear in his voice. "Is our father."

"Your dad is Hokkaido's governor." That partly explained why the Sakamakis were so loaded. "But… isn't he… uh…"

"One of us? Yes."

"So the _governor of Hokkaido_ sanctions the-" she dropped her voice "-sacrificial brides program?"

"He doesn't involve himself in our affairs." Laito took his hand off of her leg (she let out a sigh of relief). "And we do not involve ourselves with him. Let's move on."

Sunny stared at him, wondering if she could press further. Laito was clearly agitated, though, and she could barely handle him when he was in a _good_ mood. She decided against it when he turned the page so quickly that the paper of her textbook tore in his white-knuckled hands.

"Alright, sure," she said, going back to her notes. "So… uh… prefectural government-"

" _This_ is unexpected." Her head jerked up at the sound of a new voice, and Sunny's heart crawled into her throat when her eyes locked with Kou's. "What's happening here?"

A switch flipped, and Laito's composure returned. "Ah, it's you. We were just studying for the exam."

"He was helping me with my lecture notes," Sunny added, sinking into her chair.

Kou's eyes narrowed. "Why do you need lecture notes?"

"Isn't half of the exam on the lectures?"

Kou looked like he wanted to throw her through the window. "You know Mr. Hasegawa lectures straight out of the textbook, right?"

"He what?" Her eyes widened. "He _what_?"

"Ahhh… looks like I've been caught," Laito giggled, standing to move him and his seat back. "It was nice while it lasted."

"Don't try it again, Sakamaki." While the statement was directed at Laito, Kou was clearly frustrated with _her_ instead. Sunny looked down and let her bangs fall over her eyes in a feeble attempt to hide the redness that burned blotchy patches into her cheeks, ears, and neck. It wasn't like this was _her_ doing - _he'd_ initiated the lot of it! The truth probably wouldn't matter to Kou, though.

Thankfully, Kou took his seat without tearing into her. Sunny wrung her hands out on her desk, clutching at the fabric of her sleeves. She could still feel where Laito's hand had stopped on her leg. Too close.

Once her breathing returned to normal, Sunny reopened her textbook to the torn page. Sakamaki Tougo, the fucking governor of the prefecture, was a vampire, and she and Yui were here because his six bratty kids couldn't figure out how to get food without moving a steady stream of high school girls through their house. She glared at his picture, wishing she could bore a hole straight through his eyes.

Then again… hadn't Laito said that he and his siblings distanced themselves from their father? How much did he actually know? Surely the governor wouldn't sanction an exchange program that could come back and ruin his entire career if any word got out… right? It was almost as bad as… well… an idol living in a house with two kidnapped girls. _Ugh_.

But how many options did she have? As their dad and another vampire, he held power over them, right? And if he didn't know and found out his sons were doing something that had the potential to be so risky, _so_ politically inflammatory, he would want them to stop if he found out, right? She had all but accepted that there was no way she and Yui could run away together (hell there was almost no chance she could run away by herself), but wouldn't a benevolent father vampire showing up to tell his sons off and whisk them away to safety solve all of their problems?

Maybe she was deluding herself. It was too perfect, too convenient. But writing to Jeannette seemed near-impossible, and even _if_ she and Yui managed to run, they'd just end up stuck, penniless, in town with nowhere to go. She had few options, and all of those options were bad. Sunny had to take whatever opportunities came her way, whenever she could. Otherwise… she wouldn't survive. There was just no way.

The next class started, but Sunny wouldn't have listened even if she _could_ pay attention by some miracle. Thoughts cycled back and forth through her mind, and she conjured up and dismissed plan after plan after plan. This needed to go well. She couldn't fail this time. She couldn't! Finally, after a month and a half, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and that tunnel wasn't over five thousand miles long. If she squandered this opportunity, she might not get another one.

Sunny stared into space, almost sick due to the pressure of it all. Her stomach twisted into knots and her lungs squeezed against her ribcage as her heart fluttered in her chest. The new knowledge was electrifying - dizzying - but also terrifying. Acting on it and escaping and finding the governor would be her most brazen act of rebellion yet. If they found her… she might not survive her attempt.

She was going to give herself an ulcer at this rate. Sunny hugged her arms to her chest, swaying in her chair, and slowly exhaled through her nose. Her hands were shaking again.

This was so stupid. She didn't even know where she could find the governor, much less whether she could approach him or not (and that was assuming he actually _was_ benevolent!), so why was she worrying herself grey over a photograph in her textbook? For once in her goddamned life, she needed to take something slow and be meticulous about it and not plot against the Mukamis with her bedroom door open. Plans could wait. Worrying could wait. She needed to collect information before she tried anything, and _tons_ of it.

She leaned forward in her seat and rested her chin on interlaced fingers. She had a lot of work to do, and what came of it might hold more consequence than anything she'd ever done in her entire life.

Sunny bit her lip and stared at the clock as more and more bile built up in her throat.

* * *

*Abhainn na hIascaigh - In Gaeilige (Irish), "River of Fishes" or the River Este. It's a river in County Donegal (Northwestern), Ireland.

*Ammi - How some people from Punjab, India refer to their mothers.

 **Thank you all so much for reading! I loved reading all of your reviews for the previous chapter, and I truly appreciated your kind words. Hearing that people like this story means a lot to me, so thank you :)**

 **Chapter 15 is written, and I just need to edit it before posting. My goal is to get it up by Friday of next week.**

 **Again, thank you so much for sticking with me through this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you again soon!**


	15. Disclosure

Sunny spent the first few hours of her evening (meaning the predawn hours of the early morning) mulling over her textbook. Unfortunately, nothing in the Mukami library was of use to her - the few books in the Mukami's library on Japan's political system were too outdated for her purposes - and the only other mention of Sakamaki Tougo was a paragraph-long excerpt from a bill he sponsored. Ironic that a vampire politician would be known for his humanitarian work. Sparse as information was, any sign that Mr. Sakamaki had a benevolent side was reassuring.

She forced herself to stay optimistic. This was for the best. After what had happened last week, it was _good_ that she couldn't do her research from within the confines of the mansion. All this setback meant was that she'd have to wait until Monday during lunch to do some work in the library. None of her options were good, but at least she'd have other classmates around that might keep them from killing her on the spot if they found her out.

After tossing over in her bed a few hundred times and reading J.J.'s letter over and over again late Saturday afternoon (her early, _early_ morning), she decided to get out of bed and walk around the mansion for a bit. It had been sunny that day, and she always found it more difficult to sleep on sunny days. They just reminded her of how _wrong_ being nocturnal was.

Sunset was in about an hour, and the late daylight was golden through the windows. Ruki made "breakfast" later on weekends, and if she went back to bed now… she could get a few hours in before then, right? It wasn't like staying up these few hours was going to make much of a difference, and she'd rather be asleep than bored or scared out of her mind. Besides, with her exam coming up next week, she might as well study when she wasn't too tired to think properly. She wasn't _really_ tired at the moment, though. Not sleepy tired. Just… foggy tired. Like she was experiencing everything through a thick mosquito net.

 _Chamomile tea with honey and a few minutes with Conrad might help._

Sunny froze in the middle of the hallway. She couldn't believe she'd just thought that. She could imagine the exact face Ruki would make if he ever found out she made herself a cup of the same tea he often made for her, and she could do without seeing that stupid little smirk of his. Then again, it wasn't like he had a monopoly on chamomile. It was just tea, after all.

She frowned, weighing the pros and cons, and then decided it was horribly stupid to be thinking about this at all. He wasn't the only person that made it that way, probably, and a book as dry as _Heart of Darkness_ would put _anyone_ to sleep. So what if he had introduced her to both of those things? She was going to make herself a goddamned cup of tea, and he had nothing to do with it!

The light in the kitchen wasn't on, anyway, she noted as she tromped over to it, so Ruki would never even know that she'd made chamomile. Not that it mattered! It didn't matter! It was just _tea_. She stomped into the kitchen and flipped the switch.

She was not the only one in the kitchen. Azusa had seated himself on one of the counters, and he stared at her as blood dribbled down his forearm. The knife in his hand gleamed in the fluorescent, pale blue lighting.

"Ah, Sunny…" he said, calmly, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Would you… like to meet… my friends?"

"Azusa holy shit _your arm_ -"

"Please don't… yell. I'm fine… happy, even."

"I should get Ruki." Said more to herself than to him.

"He's running… errands…"

The cut looked… _deep_. Sure, he was a vampire, and he hadn't sliced open his entire arm, so he'd be fine, but shouldn't it be cleaned? "What about Yuma?"

"I'm fine…" he insisted, frowning. "Really, Sunny."

"It could get infected." _Could_. She didn't know how undead bodies worked.

"You can dress it… if you'd like."

Sunny squirmed a bit at his suggestion. Would she get in trouble if they found out? Then again… if Ruki was running errands, and Kou had another concert this weekend, and the only other vampire around was Yuma… "Alright, let's do that. Should we go get gauze from Ruki's room, or…?"

Azusa hopped down and pulled open one of the drawers, which was absolutely jam-packed with medical supplies. "No need…"

Pushing down questions about exactly how many drawers like this they _had_ in the mansion, Sunny reached in and pulled out some gauze and alcohol wipes, nudging what Azusa already had discarded on the floor away with her foot. She glanced at the wound, frowned, and grabbed a few telfa pads. Azusa gazed at her through half-lidded eyes as she held his arm and pressed a pad against the wound.

"This is… Justin…" he murmured, folding his hand over hers. "He's one of my… friends…"

She didn't know how to respond to that. "Oh."

"I like to… say hello to him… every once in a while."

"That makes sense." Wanting to connect with friends did make sense. Having wounds as friends, however? Not so much. She grimaced as she caught a glimpse of another recently scabbed-up cut by his elbow. "Do you talk to them often?"

"As much as I can…"

"Do you think they'd get… uh… lonely without you?"

"They would," he stated, firmly enough to make her jolt a bit. "Sorry… for scaring you. Of course… you understand. Because… you're… like me."

She really wasn't, though! "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He reached out and grabbed her arm. "How are… your friends doing?" All her protestations were meaningless against him, and Azusa tugged her sleeve down. His eyelids drooped. "They're fading again… it's so sad…"

"I'm sorry." He looked so intense, and she didn't know what else she could do to placate him. "I haven't been able to-"

"But you can _now_ … can't you?"

"Azusa, I don't think-"

"Ruki won't… need to know…" he muttered, turning her arm like someone would a pig on a spit. "It'll be… our secret."

"C-can I bandage yours up first?" she asked. "I mean, it wouldn't be fair for you to do it without me doing anything for you, right?"

"You sound like Kou." He reached for his knife, and she jerked away from him. "Spending time with you… that's enough, isn't it?"

"Let m-me patch your arm up first." She had meant for it to come out authoritatively, but the tremor in her voice killed any chance of that happening. "We can do that afterwards."

"Okay… afterwards," Azusa agreed. He extended his arm to her, and, gingerly, she approached. Sunny didn't actually want him to cut her again, and this had bought her a few extra minutes. Hopefully, Ruki or Yuma would find them soon… and realize that she hadn't initiated _any_ of this.

His arms were pale and bony, and she could see each and every green vein in his wrist. Azusa looked a bit too happy when she ran an alcohol wipe over the wound, but she didn't want to dwell on that. A few minutes passed, and nobody showed up to save her, and then his arm was about as bandaged as it was going to get. Her heart sank.

He took her hand in his. "What's… wrong?"

Azusa had always been perceptive. "I just… this is really weird to me," she murmured.

His fingers pressed into the skin of her hand. "It is? Why?"

"You're not… you're so open with it."

"Well… my brothers don't… they don't like it when… I do it around people. But… it's something… I enjoy. I'm just… happy to have… found someone… like me. That also enjoys it."

"Look, Azusa… I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I enjoy it like you do."

"But you do it," he insisted, squeezing her hand. When she didn't respond, he exhaled, and his breath tousled her hair. "I didn't… like it at first, either."

Sunny perked up, eager to sidetrack him in any way possible. "R-really?"

He nodded. "I didn't always… like getting hurt. But then… I realized… when I was hurting, it… made them happy. And they were… my friends. I wanted to… do something for them."

"If they were hurting you, they weren't your friends." The words came out in a rush.

His eyebrows scrunched together. "No… they were my friends. They played with me… when nobody else would."

Sunny could imagine how a child with Azusa's temperament would fare in the mid-1800s, and the thought of it made her wince. "But your brothers don't hurt you. What about them? Aren't they your friends?"

"That's different."

"Why?"

"They take care of me… friends don't do that…"

"Sure they do."

"Not like… older brothers do…" Azusa trailed off, looking awfully forlorn. He was right about that much, and Sunny looked down at her shoes. They were silent for a few minutes before he started again. "It's different."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel bad."

"It's okay. I do like getting hurt… just not on the inside," he said, gazing at her from beneath his lashes. "It's just… this is what I can do. Without that… why would they want to… be with me?"

Sunny balked. "I'm sure that isn't true!"

"Then what… can I do?"

"What else do you _like_ to do?"

"Ummm…" He started muttering to himself, glancing around the room. "I like… spicy food and how it feels. And… looking talking to my friends… and… drawing, but… those aren't things you can do… _with_ someone."

"Sure you can. Are there any markers here?"

"Ruki keeps… a sharpie…" Azusa rummaged around in a few drawers and pulled out a black marker. "For labeling… things…"

"That's perfect. Okay, I'm not… that good at drawing, but I can do butterflies and stuff. Can I draw a few on your gauze?"

Azusa wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning anymore, either. "I guess…"

Happy to be able to distract him for a few more minutes, she sat down next to him went to work, drawing swirls and flowers and butterflies all up his arm. The gauze wasn't the best canvas (all the ridges and folds made clear lines nearly impossible), so the drawings looked like a royal mess, but Azusa didn't seem to mind.

He leaned in as she doodled. She was very close to him, and the silence made things awkward, so she tried talking to him. "You know, when I broke my arm in Year 2, I got a neon green cast, and it was the ugliest thing ever. I got so upset at the hospital, and I didn't even want to go to school the next day. I think it was because I was embarrassed I fell off the climbing frame and I wouldn't be able to hide anything that bulky and that bright from my classmates."

"I don't think I'd… like that colour, either." The edges of his lips quirked.

"It was _hideous_!" Sunny groaned, sticking out her tongue. "I went over to my friend Bailey's house and bawled to him about it, and he was always smarter than I was and was like 'why don't we color over it?' which I thought was absolutely brilliant of him, honestly. Seven-year-old me was a real piece of work. We ruined like… four sharpies colouring my cast black and got ink in the carpet, and his mom was _pissed_."

Her story actually drew a laugh (a very soft one) from him. "Ruki would've… been so upset if we did that. He got really mad… at Yuma once, and stopped making… desserts for a week."

Sunny snorted so hard she messed up a wing, which she decided to fill in black. "What'd Yuma do?"

"He left some equipment out… and I tripped on it and… fell into one of his rose bushes."

"You got hurt?"

Azusa was grinning ear to ear, now. "I was _covered_ in… scratches. He was mad… because… Yuma tried to cover it up. He… gave me a bunch of… sweets from the pantry so I wouldn't… tell him. And he used… a whole carton of band-aids… and a huge roll of gauze… Kou said I looked like… a mummy. That's… how Ruki found out."

Sunny burst into a fit of giggles. "I could totally see that."

"Hey, Sunny… can I draw on you?"

She perked up, beaming. "Sure! It'll be like a tattoo!"

Azusa took the sharpie from her and took her right arm, furrowing his brow as he studied the blank space. "What would.. you like?"

"Could you do a sheep?"

"Ah… like your stuffed animal…" he mused. "Cute…"

"I really like them," she said. "They aren't technically Ireland's national animal, but I think they should be."

"They look very… soft…"

"Wool can be kinda scratchy, but it's really warm."

"This will be… from memory… but I'll do… my best."

"I'm sure it'll be great."

Azusa pursed his lips and began. Sunny wasn't sure she was completely comfortable with him this close, but his grip was gentle (if a bit firm), and this was much better than the alternative. His hands were much steadier than hers had been, and she was a bit taken aback at how… good he was. He somehow made flowers drawn with a wide-tipped sharpie look delicate, and the little sheep were adorable as well.

"You're really good at this." She tilted her head to get a better look at his drawings.

"Thanks… I do enjoy… drawing."

"Can you do my other arm, too?"

He stopped, abruptly. "But… your friends…"

She glanced up, anxious, and took in the sadness in his eyes. "Oh. Sorry… you don't have to. Maybe when this comes off?"

"Ah… right…" he murmured. "These will… fade…"

"That just means you can draw something new, though, right? Like a reusable canvas."

Azusa nodded, then lifted his head and looked past her. She followed his gaze, and when she saw what he'd noticed, her stomach dropped.

Ruki stood in the doorway, holding a bag of groceries, lips curled in a snarl. "What are you _doing_?"

Her heart hammered in her ears. He'd obviously directed the question at her, but Azusa answered anyway. "It's nothing… to be-"

"I told you to _stay away_ from him."

"We were just-"

Ruki gestured to Azusa's bandaged arm. "Did _you_ do that?"

"I didn't." _'He did that before I came in'_ sounded too much like tattling. "I d-didn't hurt him."

He looked skeptical at best. "Did he hurt you?"

They both shook their heads. "I gave her… a tattoo…"

"I really like it."

"You… do? I'm happy…"

Ruki's shoulders dropped, but there was still a lot of tension in his face, and his knuckles were white against the grocery bag as he set it on the counter. "Nothing bad happened?"

They both shook their heads, again. "Nothing bad. I like… being with Sunny, Ruki."

"I believe you," he said, voice soft. "I'd like to speak to her alone, however."

Her heart clenched. Azusa nodded and hopped off the counter. "Alright…"

He walked out, leaving her alone in the kitchen with his much-less pleasant older brother. Ruki said nothing for a while and quietly went about unpacking the groceries and stocking the fridge while she fiddled with her sleeves, simmering in her anxiety. She didn't feel he was about to attack her, but he probably wasn't pleased with her, either.

"I don't like what he does to himself," Ruki said, only after every last item was stowed away.

"I'm sure you don't, and I get why that is." Sunny picked at a loose thread in her shirt. "I'm not encouraging him."

"Not actively, I'm sure," he agreed. "But when Azusa finds someone similar to him, he gets bolder. The fact that you _did_ harm yourself before you came here is enough."

"I did it for different reasons, though. Ruki, I think-"

"Don't try to fix him. We have all been trying to for years. I know from experience that if you push him too hard, he gets upset and lashes out, and you're human. He'll kill you."

"I wasn't looking to fix him. It's not like Azusa's broken; he just has a really bad habit."

"You're being foolish. What he does is more than just a bad habit; even _you_ should be able to see that."

"Do you think _I_ need to be fixed, then?"

"I don't think you are without your flaws."

"That's a non-answer."

"You shouldn't be surprised to hear that I think there are things about you that need fixing. Your brazen attitude, for example."

"This conversation isn't about _attitude_ , though."

Ruki raised an eyebrow. "I don't want you to do that to yourself, either. Are you satisfied?"

"Well, congratulations! I haven't cut anything in _weeks_! So why haven't you just hidden Azusa's knives if you know _that_ solution works?"

"The knives themselves aren't the issue. Even the act itself is usually a symptom and not the problem."

Sunny's fingernails dug into her palms. "What do you think _my_ issue is, then?"

Dismissively, Ruki waved his hand. "Depression, probably."

"Excuse me? You're claiming I'm _mentally ill_?"

He sighed. "I didn't say I knew for certain. I'm still trying to figure it out."

Gaping, Sunny slid off the counter. The gears in her head turned, and as realization dawned on her, the initial shock gave way to white-hot rage. "You're trying to _figure it out_?"

"Don't yell-"

"What the _fuck_ do you mean by that, Ruki?" she yelled. "Is that why I'm here? Was _any_ of this _ever_ about keeping Yui in line?!"

"Of course it was."

 _"Was!"_ she cried. "You _know_ you can do whatever the hell you want to us, whenever you want! You haven't been making sure your brothers don't kill me because I'm helping you control Yui - I'm a fucking _crash test dummy_ for you to try out your _psychological bullshit on_ so you can try to _'fix' Azusa_!"

"And you're better for it."

 _"I don't care about whether or not it WORKED!"_ Sunny shrieked. _"You've been USING me!"_

"For a good cause."

 _"FUCK YOU!"_ she yelled, pounding her fists on the counter. When he didn't even flinch at her explosion, she screamed one last time and stomped out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

He'd been using her this whole time. Sunny flew into her bedroom in a blind rage and locked the door behind her. She pushed her desk in front of it for good measure, then kicked her bedpost and screeched when she stubbed her toe. She'd been _used_.

Sunny fell onto her bed, smashed Duke into her face, and _screamed_.

* * *

"Hey, Sow, are you gonna behave at dinner, or are you gonna squeal at us the whole time?"

"I DON'T WANT TO _LOOK_ AT YOU GUYS, MUCH LESS _EAT_ WITH YOU!"

"Guess that answers that. Ruki says that if 'ya don't eat with us, 'ya don't eat at all."

"THEN LEAVE ME TO STARVE."

"Fuck, you're melodramatic when you get pissy."

 _"Go away,"_ she groaned. When he stormed off, she rolled over in bed and stared out the window. It was almost dawn, and she was hungry after having skipped breakfast, but her pride was more important than her stomach. She'd spent the entire day pacing around her room with a few naps and letter attempts (most of those being along the lines of _"help I'm living with this asshole named Ruki Mukami who sucks and I hate him"_ ) thrown in. Today hadn't been productive. Then again, most of her days weren't.

A part of her knew she shouldn't be sulking this much. Kou would get back later today, and she worked much better when the constant threat of him barging in to torment her wasn't looming just over her shoulder. His weekends away were the closest to calm she got.

Sunny pulled out her history textbook and stared. The words blended together, and she couldn't get him off her mind, and this was going nowhere. His words echoed in her mind.

What did he know? He couldn't just pretend he knew what went on in her head and diagnose her like that! He had no right to even try ! And she wasn't depressed - she was more empty and tired than sad and weepy - anyway, so he was _wrong_.

Hell, even if Ruki had been accurate, what would it have accomplished? She and Azusa were two completely different people - their "bad habit" as he called it, was one of the only things they had in common - and he couldn't have just expected to "fix" ( _fix!_ ) them both with the same methods. The red marks on her left arm didn't make her and Azusa soulmates or whatever garbage he believed, for fuck's sake!

Worst of all, did this mean that nothing he'd done for her over the past few weeks was actually done _for her_? Had all the talks over tea and Conrad been excuses for him to test out new methods of approaching her and Azusa's "problem"? She'd thought he might have actually been warming up to her, but had he only been seeing her as a not-quite Azusa to practice on this whole time? And what all this mean now that she had pulled back the curtain?

What would keep Kou from snapping her neck now? Anything at all?

She slammed the book shut and fell back on her bed, again. How was she supposed to focus now? With all of this? Sunny clenched her teeth and gazed up at the ceiling, seething and, admittedly, feeling more than a little distraught.

"Um…" a soft, feminine voice called to her from behind her desk and door. "Sunny? Are you in there? Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she answered, relieved for the distraction from her thoughts. "Just give me a minute."

Once her desk was back in place, she let Yui in and shut the door behind them. Yui glanced at the skid marks on her floor, but didn't say anything. They sat on her bed, and she pulled a few dinner rolls out of her sleeves. "Are you okay?"

Sunny shoved a roll into her mouth. "Mmf. I thinnk sho. Dunnoh." She swallowed, grimacing. "Ruki hasn't been… keeping me alive to make sure you behave."

"I think… I kind of knew that. I knew they could control me without having you around as an incentive," Yui said. "Or at least… yeah. Azusa filled me in."

Sunny bunched up her shoulders. "So… you know about…"

"It's okay, Sunny." Yui put a hand on her shoulder. "I won't say I don't care now that I know, but… I don't hate you for it. I don't even hate Azusa, and he's more forward about it than you are."

"I think he's difficult to hate."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You've been kinder to me than… any of them have. I just… I don't like that you aren't kinder to yourself."

"…thanks." It was all she could think to say. "You know what this means, though."

Yui pressed her lips together and folded her hands in her lap. "I do. But… if it makes you feel better, I still don't think they're going to kill you unless you give them a reason to."

"Yui… that's… really optimistic." Borderline delusional, but she wasn't going to say that aloud. "I'm not sure I believe that."

"You know, Ruki made dinner for five tonight."

"He what?"

"I don't… I don't get the impression that he cares about us a lot," Yui admitted, fidgeting. "But… his brothers mean a lot to him, and… if he believes that you can help him help Azusa…"

"He doesn't want to help Azusa. He wants to fix him. And I don't want him to keep trying to use me to figure him out."

"Erm…" Yui bit her lip. "I don't think this is going to… come out well. He said he didn't need you to make sure I behave. Doesn't that also mean that you… you can't really stop him from trying with you even now that you know what he's trying to accomplish? Just like I can't do anything about what they want from me."

She winced, knowing Yui was right. "It's not quite the same, but… yeah."

"We don't have… a lot of power here," Yui murmured. "If Ruki wants something from you, he'll take it. I know that sounds… _really_ bad, but it's _one_ thing we have going for us. Besides… I… um… I think you have more say than you realize right now. Azusa's pretty upset with Ruki right now too, and he didn't attend dinner, either."

"Shit, really?" Sunny gasped. "But… that's my fault, isn't it?"

"Azusa doesn't think so. Ruki started this. You just figured out what he was up to."

"What happened? Did they fight or something?"

"Nothing's… _happened_ , really. He told me that you and Ruki fought, but Azusa isn't a confrontational person. He's just been avoiding Ruki all day."

She could see that. Avoidance was an excellent way to convey frustration, but it was a short-term fix. "And do you… know what he's upset about, exactly?"

"He just said he was upset. I have no idea what it's about. You don't think he feels that… Ruki's insulted him in some way, do you?"

"Well, it could be that he doesn't like that Ruki's trying to break his habit," Sunny said. "But he… also kept us apart for a long while because of all this. It could be a couple of things."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more."

"Yui. You brought me dinner. That's more than enough."

"You're going to be alright?" Yui asked.

"I'll be fine."

"Okay. You know… I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

"Me, too." Sunny agreed. "We're in this together."

"Sounds good," Yui said, smiling. She patted her on the shoulder, then stood to leave. "Be careful, okay?"

"Will do, Yui," Sunny promised. "Look alive out there."

Yui snorted, then left.

Sunny fell back onto her bed. _Shit_. She hadn't started all this, but she'd still created a rift between Ruki and Azusa, hadn't she? And, knowing Ruki, he'd definitely blame her for it. Sure, he might not be in the mood to kill her _today_ , but if Azusa kept ignoring him and he figured out why his brother was giving him the cold shoulder… he might have another factor to consider when deciding whether or not she was worth however much she added to the grocery bill.

She needed to try and fix this.

Azusa might talk to her, right? Ruki had dragged them both down into this, so she might even have a better chance figuring things out than Yui. If she could get him to tell her what was wrong, then maybe she could convince him to talk to Ruki about how he felt, and things would resolve themselves.

Then again… what would happen if Ruki ever found out she had deliberately approached Azusa? She'd yelled at him earlier that day, and he probably wasn't going to be very tolerant if he discovered she'd gone against one of the few orders he'd given her. Trying to play mediator was a risky option as well. Would trying to console Azusa put her in a worse position than waiting for this to blow over would?

Of course… this was something she could control. If she waited, this whole ordeal would be out of her hands. If she approached Azusa, however, she might be able to do something herself for once. Besides, even if Ruki's methods were all wrong, he was being a controlling asshole for Azusa's sake. He would be a bit more sympathetic if her intentions were good… right?

There was no way to know how either approach would play out, but at least she would have some idea what was going on if she took matters into her own hands.

Sunny chewed on her lip, trying to mentally prepare herself for her talk with Azusa. If anything went wrong, she could find herself either under the blade of one of his knives or facing an irritated Ruki. And she didn't know which one would be worse.

After multiple internal pep talks and play-by-plays of different conversations, Sunny forced herself to stand and make her way out of the relative safety of her bedroom. Slowly, she made her way down the hallway, looking left and right at every door, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. There was little room for error.

Azusa's bedroom door was closed, but there was light coming from underneath it. Inhaling sharply, she knocked.

The door opened almost instantly. "Ah… Sunny. You're… here?"

He looked confused, but still allowed her inside. Sunny wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not when he shut the door behind them. "Yui says you're upset with Ruki."

Azusa stared at her, almost warily, and plopped himself down on his bed, obviously waiting for her to continue.

"Do you… want to talk about it?" she asked, sitting on an armchair next to him.

He frowned. "I don't really… know what to say. How to… explain it. So… there's no need."

"Is there anything you want me to know?" It probably wouldn't hurt to press a little bit.

His eyes, though unfocused, were intense. "This doesn't feel… right…"

"Oh." If he didn't want to talk, this conversation was a dead end, and she should try and get out of his room as soon as possible. "Well, you don't have to tell me-"

"No… not like that." He fidgeted with his sweater. "I can't… do much on my own, but… I still… I don't like what Ruki… is doing."

"That's fair," she said. "I don't like it, either."

"This isn't… the first time he's tried to… stop me."

"It isn't? When has he done it before?"

"He does this… something like this… every few years." He picked at a loose thread. "Ruki… he wants me to be happy. I _am_ happy, though… my friends make me happy. When he tries… to stop me from talking to… Justin, and Christina, and Melissa… it hurts-" Azusa pointed to his chest. "- _here_."

"Kou and Yuma… I've talked to them… about this before… but they take Ruki's side. And that hurts, too. It makes me think that… maybe there _is_ something… wrong with me. But… I don't want to stop, and… even if I did… I don't think I could. My friends… they're a part of me."

"I… I'm sorry, Azusa," she murmured. "I don't know what to say."

"Then… don't say anything. It's okay," Azusa reassured her. He frowned, then reached out and grabbed her hand. "Just… _please_ … don't tell me you think I'm… being stubborn… or difficult… or childish."

"I wasn't about to."

His shoulders relaxed, but then tensed up again. "I do… love my brothers, though. I'm not… I don't hate them. I just… wish they'd… no… I don't… I just feel lonely when I… talk to them, sometimes. Like… like they don't hear me at all."

Sunny felt almost… guilty listening to him. Like she was eavesdropping on family secrets. "Have you ever… told them any of this?"

"I've… tried." He lowered his head until she could no longer see his eyes through his lashes. "I never… know what to say. And… they interrupt me. But… mostly… what if they're right? What if… what if this _is_ weird, and… and I _shouldn't_ talk to my friends? What if… it's all me, and I _am_ a problem?"

"Well…" she stammered. "Are your friends important to you?"

He flinched at her question. "Of course they are."

"You should tell them that. They love you, and I can tell they care about you a lot. They just… don't know how they should treat your friends because it's… foreign to them." Sunny clenched her fists in her lap and inhaled sharply. "And… yeah, not very many people do what you do. It's different, for sure. But different… doesn't mean _wrong_."

A few strands of hair fell into his face as he leaned forward, curling into himself. Sunny winced, but continued. "They see you hurting yourself - and yeah, that's not something most people want to see someone they love doing to their body - and want you to stop because they care about you. But if… it's not _really_ hurting you, and your friends matter to you, I think they would want you to do what makes you happy."

"They don't like it, though…"

Sunny pressed her lips together. She didn't know what else she could say that might make him feel better. He couldn't expect his brothers to change their opinions on his "friends" overnight, and they were probably going to have reservations no matter what he chose to do. Wherever he went with this, getting his brothers to accept him for who he was wasn't going to be a cakewalk. Cutting was… not something most people saw as a "good" thing. For good reason. Hell, she wasn't sure she should be encouraging this herself, even if she wasn't really encouraging the act itself.

But that probably wasn't what Azusa wanted to hear. _Needed_ to hear. He was bent all the way forward, and his head rested in the space between his knees. She watched as his hat slowly tipped forward, then reached out to adjust it right before it slipped off his head.

"I'm sorry, Azusa. I don't know what to tell you."

"That's… okay. I can't expect you to… know everything. That wouldn't be fair…"

"Do you think you'd be able to talk to Ruki? Or maybe Yuma or Kou if you'd be more comfortable with one of them?"

"I don't… know…" he admitted. "It's… a lot. And I still don't… know what I'd say."

"You told me a lot about how you feel a few minutes ago. Have you ever told them any of that?"

"Some of it… maybe… not a lot."

Sunny nodded. "Why don't we start there? You can always write down what you want to say beforehand, too. Or just write them a letter. And you don't have to do anything at all if you don't want to. I certainly won't make you."

"Hey, Sunny…" Azusa murmured, peeking through his bangs. "You said what I did was weird, too. Do you not… like it, either?"

He always had been perceptive. "It's just… for me… cutting means something different, and I'm not used to it."

"What does it mean… for you, then?"

She stared at him, at a loss for words. "I'm… not really sure. I don't… know how to explain it."

Azusa sat up, then scooched over next to his bedside table and pulled out a little notebook. She caught glimpses of little charcoal drawings as he flipped open to a few blank pages and tore them out.

"We can do this… together," he stated, handing her a page. "You can write down… how you feel about… yourself, and I can… write to my brothers."

Her mouth went dry. "I'm not sure that's something I-"

" _Please_ , Sunny," he insisted. "I've always… been bad at… doing things on my own. I don't want to… do this… by myself."

She clenched her hands around the piece of paper, crumpling the edges. This wasn't something she really wanted to explore, but… if it helped Azusa, she'd be happy. And maybe Azusa's brothers would be happier with her afterwards. Almost two months into her stay, she wasn't delusional enough to hope that they'd let her go home if she was a good enough therapist, but getting on their good sides couldn't hurt.

And she didn't hate Azusa's company, either. He was a bit… _odd_ , certainly, but he could be sweet, and he was much gentler than his brothers, and he never seemed malicious. Having a friend - _especially_ a vampire friend - was invaluable here, and as uncomfortable as this would probably get… she needed this.

So Sunny forced out a smile, and reached out, and touched his forearm. "Okay. I'll write about it. We're in this together."

Azusa smiled back and put a hand over hers, and his lips parted, slightly, to reveal the sharp teeth within. "Thank you. I'm… happy, Sunny."

Something fluttered in her chest. They were in this together.

"I think… I think I'm happy, too."

* * *

 **Thanks so much for reading. See you all soon for Chapter 16!**


	16. Stagnation

Sunday passed. Kou returned, and she and Azusa started eating dinner with everyone again, and all was well. Well enough. Sunny studied in her room, staring at her textbook and trying to switch between readings and smaller assignments in a desperate attempt to salvage her semester. Nothing was working, and she couldn't concentrate, and before she knew it Yuma was calling her for dinner and she'd barely accomplished anything at all. Standard fare.

Monday passed. Sunny went to the library during her lunch break and found a table as close to the middle of the study area as she could get to hopefully deter wandering vampires. The school library wasn't much better, but she did find a brief biography that was a couple of pages long in one encyclopedia. Mr. Sakamaki was known for two things: he was a philanthropist and a recluse. People, even people he worked closely with, rarely saw him outside of bill signings and press interviews. She went back to class feeling crushed.

Tuesday passed. Another lunch in the library, but this time she didn't find a single word on him. One of the school computers on the other side of the room was making high-pitched, malfunctioning noises. A computer would have been useful, but if one of them caught her using the internet… she even didn't want to think about what would happen. It was too risky. She went back to class downtrodden and frustrated. Sunny spent Tuesday "evening" staring at her ceiling, wondering if she'd ever find anything useful at all.

Then, she decided to take a different approach on Wednesday. To the best of her understanding, she was attending one of the best schools in Japan, and there had to be a few politically involved students at this prestigious academy. But… which ones could she talk to safely? She knew three names. Yuka. Riko. Mei. Three bad options. She had never had many _good_ options here, though. As soon as Kou left, Sunny made her way to the restroom.

Yuka stood in her usual spot, in front of her mirror, pulling at her bows. Sunny cleared her throat, and all the lines that she'd spent hours rehearsing in her head earlier that day before swarmed around uselessly in her brain.

"Hey, Yuka, could… could I… erm… could I get your help with something?"

"Huh?" she turned around, and her face melted into a mask of indifference. At least Yuka didn't look like she wanted to rip her hair out today. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"I'm… uh…" she stammered. "Doing… a project on local government and… uh… student opinions on it. Can I ask you a few questions?"

Yuka stared at her. "I don't really follow politics."

Sunny didn't know what to say in response. "Um. Okay. Do you know anyone that's more… invested? I'm sorry for doing this, but I don't… really… know anyone?"

"Grade 12's class president might be a good option. She's pretty involved."

Sunny frowned. The class president of the top grade in Ryoutei probably _would_ be her best option, but… would it be okay to talk to her in the first place? "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother her…"

"It should be fine. She and Riko are pretty good friends."

She still wasn't convinced. Reiji, Ruki, Yuma, and Shu were all in Grade 12, and she really didn't want to meet up with the class president if doing so would put her at risk. "I don't know…"

"You'll be fine; Chie's really sweet."

Before Sunny could protest, Yuka grabbed her hand and led her out into the hallway. She flinched, partly because Yuka had long nails and partly because her hand was warm, and, well, she hadn't really felt human warmth in two months. Yui's hands were always cold (and hers probably were, too). Anemia's fault, no doubt.

This felt nice.

Yuka led Sunny up a flight of stairs and into a (thankfully) near-empty classroom on the fifth floor. She recognized Riko by the windows, and the girl's brow furrowed as she noticed her with Yuka. Riko was in the middle of a posse of girls, but Sunny knew who the class president was before Yuka even approached her.

"Hey Chie, can we talk to you for a little bit?" Yuka asked.

The tallest of the girls - made even taller with perfect posture - turned to face them, pursing her lips. "Sure. Who's this?"

"This is Sunny. She's in Grade 11."

Recognition lit up Chie's face. "Oh! You're the transfer student from Ireland, right?"

"That's me," Sunny said, awkwardly. She dipped her head. "It's nice to meet you."

"You, too. Are you adjusting alright?" Chie asked, tucking a lock of deep brown hair behind her ear. "I realize it's a bit late to be asking, but Hinata said he didn't get a chance to check in on you because you were sick for a few weeks early on."

"Oh! That's… uh… yeah, I had some difficulties adjusting, but I'm doing better now." Lying to an upperclassman, much less the _class president_ , felt awful, but it was a necessary evil. "Thanks for asking."

Chie beamed at her. "I'm glad to hear that! So? What did you want to talk about?"

"I'm doing a project on student opinions and local government. Could I possibly ask you a few questions?"

"Yeah, I'm not that busy right now."

Sunny swallowed, nervous. Yuka and Riko weren't paying attention to them anymore, which made things a bit easier, but she was already anxious enough about this, and Chie was _excellent_ at maintaining eye contact. She tugged at her bows. "Thanks for doing this."

"It's not a problem. Ask away!"

"How do you feel about the governor?" she blurted out the question. Might as well get this over with.

"Mr. Sakamaki does a lot of good work for the prefecture. He's very popular with people here, and I'm no exception. I'm a pretty big fan of his, if you can call it that."

That information was nothing new, but it was still helpful. She knew about Sakamaki Tougo, so there was a chance that she could help her out. Grilling her about the governor all at once might come across as suspicious, though, so she veered away from the subject. She could come back to him in a little bit. "Okay, and how much do you follow politics?"

"I'd say I care about it more than… most students," Chie replied. "I'm pretty invested." She leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, smiling. "Maybe _too_ invested."

"There's nothing wrong with caring about that," Sunny said. For her purposes, Chie couldn't be too involved. This was a _gift_.

"You wanna hear something silly?"

"Um… sure."

"My family's going to Sapporo this weekend for the Chrysanthemum Festival, and they're all so excited about seeing this year's flowers, and here I am looking forward to it because it's one of the few events the governor goes to and I'll be there for it. Isn't that sad?"

Sunny stared at Chie, wide-eyed. She hadn't been expecting anything like this from their conversation, and it caught her off guard. "N-no, it isn't sad."

"It's just that he's so… introverted, I guess?" Chie continued. "He almost never makes public appearances."

"No, you're right." Sunny's mouth was bone-dry. Her heart was beating like nothing else and her breathing was getting difficult to control, but she couldn't screw this up. She couldn't _afford_ to screw this up. "I read that he's pretty reclusive. How often does he show up, anyway?"

"Almost never," Chie sighed. "It almost feels like he goes into hiding sometimes. I don't think he'll make a public appearance again until… jeez… Sapporo's snow festival?"

Sunny's stomach dropped. She'd read a few tourism guides before she came here, so she knew exactly when the Sapporo Snow Festival was: late January. "Really? That's so far out."

"Crazy, right? He almost never appears outside of the capitol, even on election years. I don't know how he does it."

The adrenaline of thirty seconds ago was gone, replaced with a thick, heavy sense of dread. It wasn't an election year, and she couldn't wait for one to come up. Hell, she didn't know whether she'd make it to _January_ or not! "Y-yeah, it's pretty crazy. Kinda unfortunate." _Very_ unfortunate. "I didn't realize he showed up to festivals."

"The big ones, yeah. He'll help judge the flowers on Saturday and give out awards, but he'll probably leave shortly after that."

Saturday was four days away. How the hell was she supposed to figure out how to get to Sapporo in four fucking days? That wasn't enough time!

"Um… Sunny?" Chie asked. "Are you doing alright? You look kind of… pale."

She wasn't alright. If she didn't figure something out, was her next opportunity to meet Mr. Sakamaki really _three months_ out? She considered herself lucky to be nearing the two-month point in her stay, and even now… every single day, every meal, every limo ride was _terrifying_. Even if she survived another three months - and that was a _big_ if - she would probably develop a stomach ulcer before she had any chance to meet him. Or maybe one of them would break her legs and render her immobile. There were too many things that could go wrong in three months.

"I'm fine." Another lie. "Breakfast just isn't agreeing with me. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I think I'll be alright. Thanks for helping me out."

"Again, it's no problem," Chie said. She paused, frowning. "You know, I can't speak from experience, but I'm sure studying abroad in another country is a lot to take in. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here."

Sunny wouldn't do that even if she _could_ talk about things that actually mattered. She would just be wasting Chie's time. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you down to the infirmary?"

"I'm fine."

"Get some good sleep tonight then, okay?"

"I will." Sunny bowed her head, again. "Thanks for the help."

She sped out of the classroom, feeling eyes on her back. Once she got around the corner, she gave herself a second and leaned against the wall, staring at the floor. That hadn't gone well. Her mouth was dry. She needed water. Sunny found a drinking fountain, headed over, and took a good thirty seconds gulping down as much as she could.

"Hey, Sunny…" a voice called to her. She startled, then straightened her back and wiped her mouth. Yuka had followed her out of the classroom. "Last call for the infirmary."

Yuka actually looked… concerned, which was telling. "I look that bad, huh?"

The girl winced. "Do you want me to answer honestly?"

"You don't need to."

"You could just ask Dr. Reinhardt for some ibuprofen or crackers or something. Or lie down for a few minutes."

"I don't think that's necessary," she said. Sunny made her way to the stairs, keeping one hand on the railing as she descended.

Yuka silently followed behind her, a few steps back. She had reason to be following her - they both had classes on the same floor - but her presence was still making her antsy. Did she suspect anything? Well, whatever. She shouldn't dwell on it. Focusing on the stairs so she wouldn't trip and break a leg was more important than worrying herself grey over unlikely scenarios, anyway.

Just before they got down to her floor, Yuka put a hand on Sunny's shoulder. "Can we talk?"

She didn't want to talk, especially if her intuition was correct, Sunny balled her hands into fists, forced a smile, and turned around. "Sure."

"Look," Yuka began, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is gonna come out harsh, but you… _always_ look… kinda bad?"

Well, she was right about it coming off as harsh. Sunny bit her lip. "Okay."

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm not trying to be mean."

"You're _acting_ mean, though."

"I'm being honest," Yuka huffed. Her shoulders sagged. "I don't mean it in a 'you're ugly' way. I just… I didn't notice it before Chie said anything, but you always look… tired. And a bit sickly."

Sunny's chest constricted. "I could be getting more sleep, yeah."

Yuka pressed her lips together. "Are you doing okay? Seriously."

It would have been _so easy_ for her to grab Yuka's shoulders and say _"no, I'm not doing okay, **please help me** ,"_ but she couldn't do that. Not in good conscience. If Yuka got dragged into any of this, she would never be able to forgive herself. So Sunny forced the fake smile back onto her face. "I'm doing fine. Seriously. It's just hard for me to sleep during the daytime."

"You don't have to be an insomniac to use melatonin, you know." Yuka said. She didn't look convinced, but there wasn't anything she could do to "prove" things were alright.

"I… didn't consider that." Even if she asked, what were the chances that Ruki would get her some? She didn't get the sense that he would be thrilled by the idea of making another long-term investment into her well-being. "I should look into it."

"I take it sometimes, and I'm sure I'm not the only person here that does. It made adjusting to night school a lot easier."

Sunny chewed on her lip. "I'll look into it."

"And… you know… if you aren't comfortable talking to Chie, you can… come to me."

She opened her mouth and closed it again. Something bubbled in her throat, and Sunny blurted out a "thanks" as soon as her mind snapped back into focus, before thickness could seep into her voice.

"I'm in class 11B, by the way. Right down the hall."

"You don't need to be nice to me," Sunny mumbled. She _shouldn't_ be nice to her. It was dangerous.

"It's just an offer. Jeez."

"You're right," Sunny conceded. Tension was building behind her eyes and in her throat. She clenched and unclenched her fists. "Thank you."

As if her day hadn't been bad enough, Kou was at the bottom of the staircase. He hadn't heard their conversation, had he? She hadn't technically said anything wrong, but something told her that he would be cross with her regardless.

If she had any doubts that he had been eavesdropping and lying in wait for her, those doubts vanished when he turned to stop them as they walked past. Kou never paid her any attention in school unless he had reason to.

"Ah! I didn't know you two knew each other," Kou said, flashing them his signature blinding smile.

Sunny glanced over at Yuka, who was clearly awestruck and not about to say anything soon, and took in a deep breath. "Y-yeah, we've met."

He clapped his hands together, and his bracelets jangled. "That's fantastic!"

Sunny gaped at Kou, unsure of whether he was serious or not. It was always so hard to tell with him. Stupidly, she said "I-it is?"

Kou beamed at them, then reached out and patted Yuka on the shoulder. "Of course! I was worried you were having difficulties making friends here."

He absolutely hadn't been worried. Hell, Kou had tried to make a bad name for her before she'd even met Yuka! So he wasn't serious. She still didn't know if he was unhappy with her. "O-oh. That's-"

"You have nothing to worry about!" Yuka cut in, still looking positively starstruck.

"Thanks so much," Kou gushed. "It's a huge relief. I know she can be a lot."

" _Hey!_ "

"No, she's fine, really," Yuka said.

"Still. Thank you~!" Kou said, beaming. He glanced over at the clock. "Oh! We should get back to class."

"Yeah," Yuka agreed, dreamy-eyed. "See you around, Kou."

Sunny's heart pounded in her chest and ears as Yuka turned and walked off. Lightly, Kou patted her on the back, a clear signal for her to move. She stared down at the floor and obeyed.

"Sounds like you need to start taking better care of your appearance, hm?" Kou said, softly.

She swallowed, clutched the hem of her skirt, and nodded.

* * *

Sunny was so engrossed in staring at her textbook without actually reading it that she didn't notice Ruki until her bed creaked. She looked up at him, gritting her teeth.

"Is that for your exam on Friday?" he asked, gesturing to her pathetic notes.

"Yes," she said. Not giving him any answer at all was too risky, even if she didn't want anything to do with him right now. Clipped, one-word responses still got the message across.

"How is studying for that going?"

"Fine." Sunny pointedly went back to her notes, and she let her bangs fall across her forehead and over her eyes.

"Would you like any help studying for it?" he asked.

"No." The lead of her pencil broke when she pressed it into her notebook. Great. "I think I do better without distractions."

Ruki's audible sigh brought her a sort of sick satisfaction, and she fought to keep a smile down as she reached for her pencil sharpener. The room was silent, save the scrapings of pencil shards. He hadn't left yet. Sunny wrote a few words, and the lead broke, _again_.

"Would an hour or two of baking be too distracting, then?"

Sunny clenched her hand around the pencil and glared up at him. "No, but it wouldn't mend any fences, either."

"This is for Azusa, not me," Ruki said, frowning. "I think he would appreciate getting something from you. If your cake is insufficient, I will bake another one."

She gritted her teeth. "My cakes are fucking delicious, thank you very much."

His lips quirked. " _I'll_ be the judge of that."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Sunny was covered in flour, and the kitchen was a complete disaster, and her cake batter was in two tins in the oven. And it was going to be fucking _delicious_.

Ruki, who had insisted he needed to be in the kitchen with her so she wouldn't steal all their butcher knives or something, glanced up from his book. "You're going to clean all of this up."

"I will once I make the icing."

"Oh, so the kitchen is going to look _even worse_ in a few minutes?"

"It'll be fine," she groaned, dumping butter and pouring powdered sugar into his (industrial-strength, _very_ nice) stand mixer. "The kitchen isn't even that bad."

She turned the mixer on, and a cloud of powdered sugar exploded upwards, coating her face. Sunny coughed. "I'm not used to using these."

"Yes."

"Shut up."

Sunny finished creaming the butter and sugar (she should have done the butter alone first, but it was too late now), then added cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and salt. Simple and effective. She tasted the icing and smiled. The cakes had been cooking for about fifteen minutes, and the kitchen was beginning to smell good. Sunny grinned and practically skipped over to the sink to do dishes.

She had missed baking. Admittedly, she hadn't been doing it as much even before she came to Japan; when she and Colleen had moved away from Derry, she didn't have Mrs. Finnegan's house to go to once a week. They still wrote to each other and tucked recipe cards into their letters after the move, but not as frequently. And she didn't have Bailey around to inhale her experiments, either. J.J. and everyone in her physics club actually seemed to care about their health.

Sunny had missed this. She'd missed how kitchens smelled with cakes in the oven, and licking batter and frosting off of spatulas, and the anticipation of baking for someone special. Sure, this cake was for the Mukamis, but she could pretend that Yui and Azusa were the only ones that would get to eat it. That made things better.

When the last dish was on the drying rack, Sunny parked herself in front of the oven and peered in. Not ready yet. Unfortunate.

"Staring at the cakes won't make them cook faster, you know," Ruki said.

"It'll keep them from burning."

"You set a timer, didn't you?"

"I don't trust your oven."

"Our oven is fine," he muttered. Ruki was tapping his foot, and it was driving her nuts. Sunny pressed her face against the glass and glared at her cake. The tapping continued. "Did you do anything to Azusa over the weekend?"

She didn't feel comfortable sharing the conversation they'd had after her explosion. That was private. "No, I didn't. Why?"

Ruki didn't say anything for a moment. He just kept tapping his foot. Was he… agitated? "He seems to care about you."

"Azusa's a kind person." Sunny wrinkled her nose. "I know that might be hard for someone like you to understand, but-"

" _Please_ ," he cut her off. "Spare me the insults for once." Ruki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Azusa hasn't changed his bandages since you wrapped them on Saturday. Do you know how rare that is for him, to go _five days_ without harming himself?"

"Have you considered asking _him_ that?"

"I don't want to bring it up."

"Well, _I_ don't know anything about why he's leaving his arm alone."

Ruki frowned, and then buried his nose in his book once again. Sunny grimaced and chewed on her lip. She doubted their second conversation had anything to do with it, because she hadn't suggested he stop talking to his friends. She didn't even think she could have accidentally implied it.

More importantly, however, Ruki was hoping she'd do _his_ fucking job _for him_ again, and she wasn't going to stand for it this time.

"I can't read Azusa's mind, you know."

Ruki didn't even look up. "I am aware of that."

"And you know that we're really different people, and that we don't even cut ourselves for the same reasons."

 _That_ got his attention. His head snapped up from behind the book. "What of it?"

"You've known him for like… forever. Why are you enlisting _me_ for this?"

"Are you saying you won't be useful?" Ruki asked, quietly.

The hairs on her arms stood on end. There was menace in his voice. She knew what he was implying, and that she needed to tread carefully because of it. Her voice was strained when she finally forced herself to speak. "I'll… still help you out, but-"

"I don't need your _help_." Chair legs scraped across the floor, and Ruki's novel made an audible _thunk_ when he slammed it down on the counter as he stood. Sunny pressed her back into the oven, shrinking away as he approached. "If you think I cannot use you to solve his problems, I have no reason to keep you around."

"That's not what I meant!" she squeaked. Mercifully, he stopped, looming over her. "That wasn't it! I think it would be better for you to approach this directly, is all! I just wanted to say that… that… aren't you doing all of this underhandedly?"

"And where would you fit into that direct approach?" Ruki snarled. His hand snapped out and grabbed her throat. "You wouldn't fit in at all, would you?" As he spoke, Sunny pawed at his arm, desperate to get him off of her, but he only tightened his grip. Which cut off her air.

Her eyes bugged. She gasped for air she could no longer get. _"I'm sorry-"_

"And you have _no right_ to tell me how to approach this. No right _whatsoever_."

 _"It's what Azusa wants,"_ she whimpered. Nothing. "He just wants to talk to you and have you listen to him." Her lungs were burning. " _Please_ , Ruki!"

Ruki released her, and she crumpled to the floor, coughing and clutching her throat.

Oh, god, he'd actually been about to kill her. Sunny curled into herself. She was shaking beyond control, and her chest heaved as she hacked and sputtered. She'd almost _died_.

"He told you that?" Ruki asked.

Frantically, she nodded. Anything to keep him away from her neck.

His shoes clicked against the tiles as he backed off, leaving her to tremble on the floor.

She took in a shaky breath. Weren't they better than this? What had happened to all his dry little jokes? The chamomile tea? Conrad? Was she back in the same standing with him that she had been the first night she arrived?

Had she ever actually improved her standing with him at all?

The timer went off, and Ruki returned and nudged her aside with his foot so he could check on her cakes. The cakes didn't even matter anymore. They could be pitch-black, dried-out hockey pucks for all she cared.

When he decided that she'd been on the floor long enough, Ruki gathered her in his arms and propped her up on a kitchen stool. The cakes looked perfect. She felt hollow.

He set a glass of water in front of her on the counter before taking a seat himself. "You should drink that. I don't believe I did any permanent damage, but your voice will be raspy for the next couple of days, so you should try to limit talking in front of your classmates."

Whose fault was _that_? Sunny watched him as she downed the glass, and even though she knew he wouldn't attack her again now that he'd gotten something for her throat, she couldn't help but be wary of him. And he had the _gall_ to claim he hadn't done any permanent damage? Bullshit. He had ruined _so_ _much_.

Ruki sighed. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," she rasped.

 _He refilled her glass. "I didn't think my actions through, and almost killed you because of it. And killing you would have been a mistake. I am sorry for that."_

"Not forgiven."

"That's reasonable."

"You were about to kill me because I tried to tell you that Azusa and I don't have a fucking _magical soul connection_." Sunny sounded like she'd been smoking cigarettes for the last twenty years.

"And it was wrong of me to do that."

"That isn't the _point_!" Sunny yelled, slamming her fist on the table. "You're apologizing because you almost killed something you could _use_ ; not because you almost _murdered me_!"

"It's the same thing."

"It isn't!" she insisted. "I'm a living person, Ruki! I'm not just a tool for you to use. I have thoughts and feelings and people I care about and none of that even _matters_ to you, does it?"

Ruki's lips thinned. She hadn't been expecting a response. "I was so _scared_. I don't think I've ever been that frightened before."

"Perhaps that fear will convince you to behave for once."

She recoiled. It felt like he'd slapped her. Somehow, this dismissal - this dismissal without a single trace of remorse or introspection, or even a hint of her far-off hope that he realized how wrong this, _all_ _of this_ , was - hurt more than the strangling had.

She shook her head. "I didn't misbehave. I wanted to help you with Azusa, and you didn't appreciate me trying because I didn't come up with an idea that fit into how _you_ wanted things done, and you're a stubborn, controlling asshole, so you were ready to _kill_ me for it."

"You were insolent. Insubordinate, even."

Sunny stared at him. Bit her lip. Exhaled.

"I'm never going to be worth anything to you."

He didn't respond or even react. For how little his demeanor changed - how it didn't change - she might have believed she hadn't said anything at all. But she knew better.

"Am I wrong, Ruki?" Again, nothing. "Say something. Anything. _Please_."

Ruki's eyes were blank as they bored into hers. Unreadable. She wasn't going to get an answer from him, which was an answer in and of itself. Her shoulders sagged. She couldn't look at him anymore.

Nothing had changed. She had been here for almost two months, and nothing had changed.

Sunny slid off her stool and trudged out of the kitchen, completely and utterly defeated.

* * *

 **This chapter's pretty short, and I apologize for that, but the next one will be up soon and a bit longer.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you all are doing well :)**


	17. Birthday Bash

**TW: sexual assault**

Before Sunny could even peel her eyes open the next morning, she knew something was off. There was a weight on her stomach, and she was perfectly centered with her back pressed against the mattress, and she _never_ slept on her back.

She blinked, twice, and Kou came into focus.

"Ah, you're awake!" he exclaimed, grinning. His face too close. "Perfect! It'll be much easier to do your mascara now."

He leaned back, and Sunny realized that the weight on her stomach was _him straddling her_. She squawked and shoved, and as he fell off she crawled out from under him and grabbed Duke, holding him in front of her as a pathetic makeshift shield.

"Okay, I probably deserved that," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "But I'm trying to help you out, here."

"Oh, are you really?" she spat. "And _how_ exactly were you helping me out?"

"Wooow, you sound awful. Guess I should've expected that," he said. "Anyway. You obviously don't know how to apply makeup. I figured I'd do yours for you today, especially since your… ah… your neck needed a bit of extra attention. I just have to put on some mascara and lipstick. C'mere."

"I know how to put on those things, and I don't need lipstick." It always dried up her lips, so for every one day she wore it she spent the following three desperately applying chapstick. And what the hell had been wrong with her neck?

"C'mon, it'll be fun! I know all about makeup; you can trust me."

Sunny wouldn't have trusted Kou Mukami to hold her goddamned ice cream cone, much less let him close to her eyes with a pointy mascara wand! "No."

The change in his demeanor was instant. "Listen. I'm being honest when I say you're going to look weird if you don't put on lipstick. I've already done the rest of your face. It isn't a big deal."

"What do I look like?" Knowing him, he'd given her a sharpie unibrow and moustache. Sunny tried to get up to survey the damage, but Kou dragged her back onto the bed. Even though she knew she should be wary of the undercurrent in his voice, she was too livid by that point to care. "What did you _do_ , Kou?"

"You look fine," he insisted. "C'mon, it's almost breakfast time. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll even let you pick what color you want me to do."

Kou splayed a few lipsticks out in front of her. Sunny looked at him, then down at the array of (bright, definitely _not_ subtle) reds and pinks, then back to him again. Angering him further wasn't worth it. She pointed to one of the acceptable pinks. "This one."

He beamed at her, the nasty edge from ten seconds ago gone without a trace. "Huh. You don't have terrible tastes after all."

"Uncalled for."

"Sorry, sorry!"

Sunny fixed her eyes on the folds in her bedspread as Kou worked. She hated to admit it, but she was grateful he was doing this. If her appearance was as bad as Yuka and Chie seemed to think it was, she should have allotted time to figure out how to conceal the bags under her eyes. Then again, she should have stayed up late last night studying and trying to figure out the whole Sakamaki Tougo mess, too. Plans didn't really _work_ here.

When Kou finished, he led her to her bathroom, no doubt to rub whatever horrible thing he'd done to her in her face. Sunny rushed over to her mirror and stared into it.

The face that looked back at her was clearly… wearing makeup, but… it didn't look awful? This was actually kind of… nice? For once, there was pink in her cheeks and not purple under her eyes, and the scar on her neck was totally invisible. She actually looked… _good_.

"You like it, don't you?" Kou asked, smugly.

She was too shocked to be cross with him. "I… do like it. Thanks?"

"Would you like me to do your hair, too? I'd love to play with it for a bit."

"I… uh…" Sunny tore her eyes away from her reflection. She wasn't sure she could trust him to do her hair, but this clearly was something he wanted to do. Denying him would be risky, and this wasn't a big enough deal to warrant protesting, anyway. "Would you?"

His face lit up. "Absolutely! I'll be right back."

He practically skipped out of her bathroom. Sunny turned back to the mirror. She looked nice. Her hair was a bit dull, and she didn't feel any better physically, but… she looked kind of pretty. Kou was probably just doing this so her classmates didn't get suspicious, and it was vain of her to be so happy about this, but still… she was happy. Warmth swelled in her chest. She grinned at herself, and her reflection grinned back.

"You don't think putting a ribbon in would be too much, do you?" Kou materialized next to her, making puppy-dog eyes as he held up a big, floppy blue bow.

It wasn't her style, but he'd been nice to her so far. "No… it's nice."

"Great!" Kou pulled out a wide-toothed comb and gestured for her to sit next to him on the edge of her tub. "I'll keep it simple; don't worry!"

She was worried. This was a boy whose casual wear included seven bracelets, huge white boots, and a bright pink hoodie, after all. Still. Sunny bit her lip. Appeasement was more important than appearances. "Alright…"

Her hair was a snarly mess, and she was embarrassed he had to deal with it even if he'd volunteered to do the job. She fidgeted anxiously as he surveyed her mane, tugging at her sleeves. "I'm sorry, my hair's awful."

"Huh? No, it isn't. I've always thought it was cute," Kou said, dragging the comb through a problem spot. "It's thick and curly and _such_ a pretty color. Your hair's like… the one thing you have going for you, actually."

She winced, ignoring his insult to keep the peace. "It's a mess."

"It'd be worth it if you kept it up. I bet you'd be suuu~per popular with girls if you put more time into your appearance."

Sunny's eyes went wide. This was the first time one of them had brought it up after her outing and subsequent meltdown last week. "I don't _want_ to be popular with girls right now. I have… I have a girlfriend."

"Oh, of course," Kou said, flashing her a smile. "But say, in some _hypothetical_ situation, you can't go back home. Is Yuka your type?"

He was being mean again, and she hated it. "No interest. Yuka is just a friend." Even calling her a _friend_ was pushing it. "Besides, she likes you anyway."

"She could be bi."

"Not interested."

"And what about you? Do you swing both ways, or do you only like girls?"

Sunny fidgeted, uncomfortable. Lying wouldn't do her any good. Not with him. She was unsure of what she should tell him, though. "I… don't know?"

"Huh, really?" Kou asked. "I mean, it's fine, of course. You've got the rest of your life to figure yourself out, however long that is."

Again, mean and uncalled for. Why couldn't he just be kind to her for once? Was that really too much to ask? She still couldn't afford to get upset with him; she'd just lose control and anger him, and then the gates of hell would open once again. So she held her tongue and clenched her fists around the fabric of her pajama bottoms.

Her hair must have been knot-free, because he was running his fingers through it. Before she could make a comment, Kou pulled a strand of hair on each side of her head and gathered them in the back, clipping them in place with a few bobby pins and the bow. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled. "Alright, done!"

Sunny swiveled her head left and right to study herself in the mirror, concerned he might have hid gum in her hair or something. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, though, and she looked really good. She didn't know how he'd done it, but her hair wasn't frizzy, and it didn't look as puffy as it normally did.

"I wet the comb, so your hair's gonna fluff up a little once it dries, but it won't look that different," Kou said. "Do you like it?"

"I… I really do," she murmured. "It looks great. Thanks for doing all of this…"

"I mean, I kinda _had_ to do something about your neck, and the way you treat your hair has been driving me nuts anyway. It's no problem."

Sunny stared at herself in the mirror, then raised her eyes to look at Kou in its reflection. He seemed happy, and this was the first time they'd had a positive interaction in almost a month. This hadn't ended badly. She hadn't hated this. Kou beamed at her, and she smiled back, relieved this had gone okay. Maybe they _could_ get along at some point.

Her makeup and hair raised eyebrows (specifically, Yuma's) at breakfast, but she was high on the of feeling good about her appearance for once, so she didn't mind.

She walked into Ryoutei with a huge, silly grin on her face, almost giddy. Nobody would give her pitying looks or try to call Tulsa* on her _today_. Sunny passed Yuka on her way to class and flashed her the biggest, flashiest smile she could give. Yuka didn't return her smile, but still gave her a thumbs-up. It was more than she had hoped for.

The makeover didn't solve all of her problems. Concentrating in class was still a nightmare, and her lecture notes were sparse, and she still had to sit behind Laito of all people. She was in a good mood, though, so none of it mattered. She looked good. She had gotten along with Kou for like… twenty whole, entire minutes. Yuka thought she looked good. All was well.

When lunch period began, however, she knew she had to get back to work. She was on a time crunch now that she knew exactly how reclusive Sakamaki Tougo was, and she needed to figure out how she could get to Sapporo by Saturday. Sunny had no idea how to even approach the issue, but going to the library wouldn't hurt. She grabbed her notebook, waited for Kou to leave, and then headed out herself.

A cold hand grabbed hers as soon as she walked out the door.

"Sorry girls, I can't chat right now!" Kou exclaimed. "I have to talk to her about something real quick."

Sunny jerked her head toward him. A cluster of five girls stared at her from over Kou's shoulder, looking anything but friendly. Her stomach dropped. "O-oh, I wouldn't want to-"

"Kou, who's this?" one of them asked, squinting at her.

"Ah, she's in my class." His hand tightened around hers. "She has some notes that I need for an upcoming exam. Sorry to do this to you guys, but I _reeeeally_ need to get a good grade on this."

"Oh!" the girl's shoulders relaxed. "Yeah, of course." The others around her nodded in agreement. "Good luck on the exam." "I'm sure you'll do great!"

"Thanks so much!" Kou gushed. He took off, dragging her behind him, and even though a part of her knew she should be suspicious, she couldn't help but find the situation a bit funny.

She covered her face with her notebook to hide a smile. "Too much exposure?"

"I need a break every once in a while. Thanks."

Sunny giggled in spite of herself. "No problem. Can we call it even, then?"

He let her catch up to his pace, still holding her hand. His brow furrowed. "Hm?"

"You know. For the makeup and hair." That was… odd. Wasn't he the one that cared about equal exchanges?

Kou's lips twitched. "You're something else."

She frowned. This was getting awkward, and she had places to be. Sunny gave his hand a squeeze. "Umm… can I go now?"

They turned a corner and stepped into an empty corridor. The edges of Kou's eyes crinkled. "Not quite yet."

"I don't know if you were serious about studying, but my notes aren't very good," Sunny said. Her eyes flickered left and right. Nobody was around. Her stomach twisted into a knot. "What's this about?"

Kou smiled, turned around, and put his spare hand on her shoulder.

Everything went dark in a flash.

Frantically, Sunny looked left and right and stumbled backwards. She couldn't see a damned thing, but there was a small sliver of light at floor level to her left. Were they… in a supply closet or something? "Hey, what's-"

 _"Quiet,"_ he whispered. "Don't say anything, okay?"

What was happening? Were they in danger? Was one of the Sakamaki brothers after them for some reason? "Wh-"

He pushed her, and her back pressed flush against a wall. Definitely a closet. He didn't sound panicked, so what was this about? What was going on? Kou grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides, and shoved a knee between her legs to anchor her in place. Sunny's breath hitched.

Then, he kissed her.

This wasn't one of Yuma's _"I'm just feeding you mouth to mouth"_ totally-not-a-kiss kisses. This was deliberate and unmistakable. Also… awful, sloppy, and _wet_. She squirmed and kicked her legs, but it was no use. It felt like she was stuck between _two_ walls, and she wasn't going anywhere until Kou allowed her to.

Her head was spinning when he broke the kiss. Sunny gasped. A million thoughts came to her all at once, but what ultimately came of it, whispered in a hiss of air, was something along the lines of "What the _fuck_ , Kou?"

He released her arms, and she felt his hands tugging at her neck and chest, and then something clattered against the floor. Sunny couldn't see him, but she made her best guess and pulled her fist back, hoping to connect with his nose or jaw. He caught her wrist.

Something rammed into her stomach just below her ribs, _hard_.

All of the air in her lungs gushed out at once, and Sunny jerked forward as her knees gave, wheezing, but Kou kept her upright. Her lungs burned. It hurt. Saliva gathered in the rear of her mouth. It hurt so _badly_. She couldn't _breathe_. She didn't know whether she should throw up or gasp for air, and she froze for a few seconds, unable to either as every nerve in her body screamed for her to _do something_. Her throat constricted.

Sunny opened her mouth and inhaled, and the ugliest noise she'd ever heard crackled on her tongue as air burst in to fill her lungs. Too quickly. She gasped and coughed and sputtered.

Kou's mouth was, she noticed then, on her neck. Or at least, she thought it was. She couldn't see anything inside the closet, so she didn't know, and not knowing was an awful feeling. What was happening? _Why_ was this happening? She didn't know. She didn't know anything at all, and that was the worst part. She didn't know what was happening or why and she couldn't see and her stomach and throat hurt and there was something touching her chest and his lips were on her neck and oh, _god_ , _please_ , she just wanted it to _stop_.

It was overwhelming. She was drowning in her own thoughts. Everything was muddy, and maybe the room was spinning around her and maybe it wasn't, but she couldn't even figure out where her legs _were_ , much less think clearly enough to try to find her footing. She couldn't process this; nothing made sense. She couldn't think. Blood roared in her ears. She was dizzy. Her stomach hurt so much.

Completely and utterly smothered, Sunny stared off into the dark, somehow feeling everything and nothing at all.

After what felt like an eternity, he stopped and pulled away, steadying her. "Ah," he said, as if he was making note of some small change in the weather. "It's time to go."

His voice brought her back. He was done with this. It was over.

She couldn't feel anything but relief as he released her shoulders. Sunny stumbled, but managed to stay upright by some miracle. Her heartbeat and breathing would take some time to return to normal, but that was okay. She was okay. It was over.

Then, Kou opened the door. The sudden change in lighting blinded her, and she squinted outside, struggling to adjust. He stepped out and walked away as if nothing had happened at all, patting his hair back into place as he left. The people in the hallway outside came into focus, and as one of them stopped to peer inside the closet, her breath caught in her throat. Pin-straight black hair. Pretty brown eyes.

All at once, everything, all of it, made sense.

Sunny opened her mouth, and what little came out was quiet and hoarse. "Yuka, I-"

 _"Don't talk to me."_ Yuka was red in the face, and snarling. "I don't want to hear it."

She stomped off, leaving Sunny standing alone in the closet with her mouth hanging ajar. Behind her, other students began turning around, and Sunny realized that Kou had unbuttoned her shirt enough to reveal her goddamned undergarments. Flushing, she scurried back into the closet and slammed the door shut behind her, then leaned against it and sank to the floor.

In the dark, Sunny fumbled with her shirt, wishing she had a cell phone to use as a flashlight. Where the hell were the buttons? She ran her fingers up the length of the hem of her top. There was nothing there. Her hands clenched around the fabric of her shirt.

When the hallway outside was quiet and the bell for fifth period sounded, she crawled to her feet and headed out, covering her chest with her notebook. Sunny made a beeline for the bathrooms. He had - no doubt deliberately - staged his attack in the supply closet right next to the restroom Yuka went to during lunch period, so she didn't have to go very far, thank goodness. She rushed inside and found a mirror.

She looked like a fucking disaster. Her hair was disheveled and her shirt was undone (the buttons must have popped off when he _ripped it open_ ) and there was lipstick smeared all over her face. _God_.

Sunny took Kou's stupid bow out, stomped on it a couple of times, and threw it in the garbage. She wiped the makeup off with wet paper towels and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was red and irritated.

She looked back at herself. The concealer on her neck was blotchy, and she could make out dark spots underneath. Gingerly, she wiped at her neck, knowing what she'd find but needing to see it nonetheless.

There were two purple bruises on her neck. One small, one large. Ruki's handprint.

Her vision blurred, and then the tears spilled over. Nothing was ever going to change.

Sunny leaned over the sink and bawled.

Whenever she thought she was making progress with one of them, it ended up being a goddamned _fluke_. The Mukamis' opinions of her varied from brother to brother, but she wasn't sure _any_ of them cared about her enough to consider keeping her alive for anything but utilitarian purposes. Azusa, maybe, but his brothers didn't _listen to him_.

At best, she was a tool to be used and discarded whenever they saw fit.

She needed to get out of here. She _needed_ to find Sakamaki Tougo this weekend.

Sunny wiped her tears and padded out of the bathroom, clutching her top to hold it together. She didn't know where she wanted to go, but knew that going back to class with her shirt ruined and her face red and blotchy wasn't an option. She just wanted to walk and be alone for a while.

The halls were empty, and the only sound was the clicking of her shoes against the floor. There was nobody around. Nobody to stop her from going wherever she wanted.

Here, she realized, while the brothers were in class, she had _options_.

Running from the mansion wasn't realistic. She would be miles and miles away from anything and have the wolves to contend with. No, her best option would be to escape from _here_. Ryoutei Academy was in town, after all, and the brothers would be in class. Distracted. It would buy her valuable time.

Sunny made her way upstairs. Japan had a famously efficient public transit system. She had come into town by train from New Chitose on the Hakodate Line and gotten picked up at the JR station, after all. Trains ran every half hour well into the night, and she remembered it going along a river on the whole way in. If she timed it well, she could be in Sapporo within two hours. She just had to find the river.

She pushed open the door to the roof and stepped out onto the terrace, shivering and clutching at her thin jacket. Crickets chirped from the bushes lining the rooftop garden. It was almost peaceful up here. Pity the nights were so cold.

Ryoutei Academy was a landmark in their part of town, and it towered above its surroundings, which made it the perfect vantage point. Sunny gripped the bars of the fence with white-knuckled hands and made her way along the edge of the roof, looking for gaps in the buildings.

It didn't take her long. The Ishikari River snaked around the city, and she could even make out train tracks in the distance. The JR had been in her sights the entire time. She couldn't believe it.

Sunny's hand traced the bars of the fence as she walked around the edge of the roof, trying to follow the tracks through little gaps in buildings. There wasn't much to go off of. She could remember back to her first evening, however, and how the train had dropped her off in a busy section of town. She found where the brightest lights were, then looked down at the entrance.

If she walked out the front entrance and turned right, she could run in a straight line and be in the center of town within ten minutes. That was optimistic, though. She hadn't ran anywhere in over a month. Fifteen minutes. If the trains ran every half hour and she left halfway into first period… she might be able to sneak onto a train. Might.

Any escape would be a long shot. But what choice did she have?

Sunny sank down onto a bench and buried her face in her hands. This was ridiculous, but she didn't have any _other_ ideas. Absolutely ridiculous. The cold was starting to get to her, and her nose was running, now. She could see her breath as it clouded the crisp night air.

Then, the crickets stopped chirping.

"You're supposed to be in class."

Her head jerked up. Ruki didn't look happy with her. Sunny frowned and leaned back into her bench, tugging her shirt close. "Sorry."

Ruki's eyes flitted down to her chest, no doubt taking in the state of her shirt. He didn't say anything for a moment, and she had no idea what was going through his head (she rarely did). Maybe he felt bad?

Sunny clenched her hands around the collar of her top. "I can't go back to class looking like this."

"You're right." His eyes met hers. "You can't."

She didn't know why she had expected anything resembling sympathy from him. "I can find somewhere to wait until class ends."

He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. "I can call a familiar to pick us up. Would you prefer that?"

Sunny blinked a few times, then nodded, furiously. "I would. I really would."

He held out his hand out to her. "Fine. Let's go back."

She scowled, but still reached out and took it.

* * *

Ruki enlisted her to help with decorations. Decorations, according to Mukami Ruki, were simple and elegant. Changing the tablecloth. Putting out the nice plates and silverware (he handled those, of course). Laying presents neatly in a table in the living room. When she suggested putting up streamers or balloons, he glared at her like she had said they should tape knives to the walls. It was all very… austere.

He had her count out one hundred and seventy-nine candles and stick them onto her cake. Sunny had no idea how they were going to light all those candles before wax dripped onto the cake, and she wasn't about to ask. It looked so goofy and out of place once all the candles were on that she _had_ to ask why this one imperfection was allowed, though. Candles were "a silly tradition that Kou and Yuma came up with," Ruki explained. He humored them every year nonetheless.

Once everything was set up to his satisfaction (she wondered if he was going to pull out a fucking protractor at one point), Ruki dismissed her, telling her to make herself presentable. It would be more than an hour before the others returned, so Sunny went to take a much-needed bath. All the scrubbing in the world couldn't have made the phantom hands on her shoulders go away, but it did help a little bit.

She doubted Ruki would appreciate her showing up to Azusa's birthday party with bruises on her neck, so she had to apply concealer for the hundredth time that month. Sunny parked herself in front of her bedroom mirror and pulled out the (rapidly emptying) bottle.

Something in the reflection gave her pause. Sunny tugged at the collar of her shirt and leaned in.

There were red marks all over her neck and chest. Five of them, she counted. Were those… hickeys? Kou had given her fucking _hickeys_?

She was too exhausted to even be upset. It was just more work. More to conceal. Sunny caked makeup onto the marks, shoved the bottle into her dresser drawer, and slammed the drawer shut. Her neck was going to be more scar tissue and bruises and bite marks than normal goddamned skin if this continued, and she was sick of it.

Ruki was hard at work in the kitchen when she finally managed to force herself out of the sanctuary of her bedroom. It smelled wonderful, admittedly. Sunny plopped down on a stool and folded her hands together on the counter.

"Hey, where are the tea bags and mugs?" she asked.

He didn't even look up. "Mugs are in the cabinet to your left. Tea bags are in the drawer underneath."

Sunny put her mug of water in the microwave. She could barely hear the hum over everything else that was happening in the kitchen. Ruki had three pots going on the stove, and he'd spread himself thin between them.

She made the mistake of opening her mouth. "Would you like a hand?"

"I can handle this," Ruki snapped.

She frowned. Stupid. What was he hoping would happen - that he'd magically grow a third arm? Sunny tromped over to the stove. "Okay, well, I'm perfectly capable of _stirring vegetables_ if you want any help."

His jaw went rigid. "You're so stubborn. It's obnoxious."

" _I'm_ not the stubborn one here. This is like, the third time I've ever been in the kitchen, and whose fault is that?"

Ruki glared down at her. She met his gaze. He didn't say anything for a moment, and then his nose wrinkled, and his shoulders dropped as he held a spoon out to her. "You will not add anything to this pan."

"Stubborn." She snatched the spoon from his hand.

The corners of his lips twitched. "Be quiet."

* * *

Shortly after the others returned, everyone gathered in the living room for dinner. Ruki gave Azusa his spot at the head of the table. Azusa chatted with Kou and Yuma, smiling and pulling at the strings of a paper cone hat (pink, glittery, obviously an idea of Kou's and not Ruki-approved) as they waited for Ruki to bring dinner out.

Ruki served dinner, and the atmosphere was different. Kou and Yuma were both subdued. Well… more subdued than usual. Yuma kept shoveling more food onto Azusa's plate, so quickly that Azusa could barely keep up with sprinkling Shichimi Togarashi powder overtop, and Kou still whined about how there was no way Azusa could possibly eat that much as the pile on his plate grew and grew, but things felt… _calmer_ , somehow.

"If he doesn't finish what is on his plate, you can always have his leftovers," Ruki said.

Kou frowned as Azusa turned his newest layer of tempura a fiery red, and kept his mouth shut. Yuma grinned and clapped him on the back.

After everyone ate their fill of shrimp and Azusa's crimson abominations were tucked away in the fridge, Ruki set her cake in the middle of the table. Sunny could barely see the icing through all of the candles. He didn't have a lighter, and as she craned her neck to see if Kou or Yuma had a box of matches, Ruki snapped his fingers.

The candles all lit at once, setting the cake ablaze. Flames soared half a metre into the air. Kou and Yuma leaned back, bellowing "Happy Birthday" so loudly that it could barely be called singing at all. Wide-eyed, she and Yui nervously sang along, both pressing their backs into their chairs. Once they finished, Azusa tried to blow out the candles.

The candles did not go out.

Thirty seconds later, once Kou and Yuma had beaten the flames into submission with wet rags, Azusa sliced and distributed pathetic-looking slices of cake swimming in puddles of melted, waxy icing.

"It's… it's nice that you still put all those candles on your birthday cakes," Yui (ever the diplomat) stammered.

"It's something, alright," Ruki muttered.

Azusa smiled as he sprinkled heaps of Shichimi Togarashi onto his slice. "I think… it's exciting. Thank you… for letting us do that, Ruki."

Ruki glared at Kou and Yuma, who were to engrossed with stuffing their faces full of cake to notice. Sunny picked at her sad-looking pile, trying to find a bite that wasn't covered in candle wax.

"S'good cake," Kou mumbled through stuffed cheeks. "Y'r'lly outdid y'rself, Rukhi."

"It's hers," Ruki replied, nodding in her direction. He sighed at Kou's horrified expression. "I supervised."

"Ah." Kou's face soured. "Well. S'good cake."

Everyone else at the table murmured their agreement. Yui and Azusa's voices were the only ones that mattered.

Yuma and Ruki cleared the dinner table, and everyone else went into the living room and gathered around the table of presents. Yuma distributed presents, and Azusa opened each one with a delicate hand, grinning from ear to ear. A variety of hot sauces and Shichimi Togarashi jars from Yuma. A fuzzy blue blanket from Kou. A gorgeous sketchbook and charcoal set from Ruki. When she caught sight of the tag on Azusa's next present, her eyebrows scrunched together. From Yui.

"Ruki let me tag along when he went shopping last weekend," she explained as Azusa stared at the gift, looking about as puzzled as she felt. "I really hope you like it."

The confusion melted away, and Azusa smiled. "I'm sure I will."

It was a pale yellow sweater. Oversized, like the white one he always wore, with pretty patterns in the yarn. Very soft. Yui watched him as he held it up, biting her lip and tilting her head to get a look at his expression. "Is it okay?"

"It's perfect," Azusa murmured, dragging his fingers down the front. "Thank you… Eve."

Yuma ruffled Yui's hair, roughly enough to make her wince. "Y'see? You had nothing to worry about."

Yui sighed, and her shoulders relaxed. Yuma hefted the last present, a large box, onto Azusa's lap.

"This one comes with a caveat," Ruki said.

"Okay…" Azusa glanced at the label, then looked up. "Something from… Sunny, too?"

Sunny shot Ruki a panicked look. He hadn't taken her shopping with him and Yui. Ruki gave her a snide little smirk, which did little to calm her nerves. Azusa opened the box, looked inside, and beamed. He reached inside and pulled out the single most photogenic pumpkin she had ever seen in her life. The anxiety melted away. Sunny grinned, clasping her hands in front of her face.

"This is _Azusa's_ gift," Ruki reminded her, scowling.

"I know," she whispered. "Thanks so much."

"Thank Yuma. He grew it."

"That pumpkin'd better look fuckin' gorgeous when y'er done with it," Yuma grumbled. He turned to Azusa with a softer expression on his face. "And I'm sure it will."

"Thank you, Yuma."

"Yeah… thanks… so much. I'm… happy."

"And we're happy for you," Kou laughed, jumping forward to give him a squeeze. "Happy birthday, Azusa!"

Yuma engulfed both Kou and Azusa in a bear hug, lifting them off the ground as they giggled at his blatant showboating. When they released Azusa, Ruki put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head at his younger brothers' display. He said a few kind words, almost affectionately.

It was all very sweet, and Sunny found herself smiling at the whole ordeal. They clearly cared about each other a lot. Seeing the contrast between how they treated each other and how they treated her and Yui hurt… but this was still sweet.

Then, the celebration was over. Ruki, Kou, Yuma, and Yui shuffled out of the living room after saying their goodbyes, leaving her alone with Azusa and his presents and his pumpkin.

Azusa tugged her sleeve. "Would you… like to help me… carve this?"

Sunny beamed and nodded.

It was only when they got to the kitchen and Azusa started examining the knives that she realized this might not be the… safest birthday activity, but then again, he had something else to slice into first. She set the pumpkin on the counter, trying to figure out which side they should carve.

Azusa appeared at her side with a butcher knife and a contented smile. "I've never… done this before."

"Really? My family used to do this every Hallo-weekend. I can get the pumpkin ready for you, if you'd like."

"Hallo-weekend… that's cute." He handed her the knife. "And… 'used to'? Why… did you stop?"

She frowned, digging the knife into the top of the pumpkin. "I think I outgrew it."

"Really? I thought you… loved pumpkin carving…"

"Mmm, yeah, I still do. I don't really know. We just… stopped doing it? My mother and I moved out of Derry just before I started my transition year and Rockport didn't have… as many pumpkins."

"Transition year…?"

"It's like Grade 10. Ireland does things a bit differently."

"Ah…" he trailed off. "What about… your father?"

Her hand slipped, and the knife sliced her fingertips. She winced. "He travels a lot for work."

"Your hand… let me see it." Azusa reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could pull away.

Lines of red formed and spilled over, and Azusa watched intently as they did. Her mouth went dry. "Oh, I'm fine. I can just bandage it up."

"No need." He brought her hand to his lips and licked her fingers.

"U-uhh… hard no, _hard_ no!" she sputtered, trying to yank her hand away. For a boy with twig limbs, his grip was awfully strong.

"They'll… heal faster… if I do this," he insisted. "And… your blood… it tastes good…"

"I'm not saying this to be mean, but you know 'kiss it to make it better' isn't a real thing, right?"

"No, we have… our saliva… it heals things."

"I'm sorry, it _what_?"

"How is the pumpkin carving going?" a voice asked. Sunny and Azusa both turned to look at Ruki, and he dropped her hand. Ruki was frowning at her, but that was how his face normally looked, so she wasn't sure if he was upset or not. "You sounded distressed."

"I messed up and sliced my fingers. We're fine, it's just that he… he uh, licked my hand, and I'm not… that's not normal for me."

"He was healing your hand."

"Still not normal," she muttered.

"Maybe… I should hold the knife?" Azusa suggested, gently.

"You do have steadier hands," she admitted, begrudgingly. "Yeah, go ahead."

Azusa sliced the top off of the pumpkin, and they scooped out the innards. She went to work separating the pumpkin guts from the seeds. It was fun work, and she enjoyed roasted pumpkin seeds, but Ruki was… watching them, and that made things awkward.

"Is it okay if… I carve bats?" Azusa asked. "I know… faces are traditional… but I think it would be… nice."

"Yeah, you can do whatever you'd like," she said.

"I was thinking… something like this." He turned the pumpkin around. Sunny stared at it. Azusa had drawn an intricate pattern in sharpie, with a gnarled tree and tiny bats flying around it.

"It looks really good," Sunny said.

Ruki cleared his throat. "I'm not sure you'll be able to carve that."

Azusa was _right there_ , so she couldn't get too upset with Ruki for being pessimistic. "It's his pumpkin. His choice. I think he'll be fine."

"I can just… use a smaller knife for the details…" Azusa agreed.

Ruki's lips were a thin line. "I just don't want this to turn out badly."

"It'll be fine," she insisted. "Have a little faith in him, would you?"

His nose wrinkled. "Fine."

Sunny went back to sorting seeds. Azusa pulled out a paring knife and went to work. When Ruki still didn't go away, she offered to make him tea, and he accepted. The kitchen was quiet save the whir of the microwave and the sound of seeds hitting the bottom of her bowl. Ruki turned the oven on, took out a baking sheet for the pumpkin seeds, and pulled up a stool next to her.

Slowly, the tension of Ruki being in the room with them melted away. It was quiet - peaceful, even - and Azusa's birthday party had gone well, and she would get a carved pumpkin after all. This was nice.

Her hand drifted to her neck.

It was a shame that tomorrow couldn't be like this. She knew that she had only gotten to leave school early and bake his cake and sort pumpkin seeds because it was Azusa's birthday. Tomorrow, things would go back to normal. Ruki would be his usual crabby self, and Yuma would yell at her in the garden, and Kou would torment her every chance he got.

Sunny passed the bowl over to Ruki when she finished, and she stared at the wall as he dumped the seeds onto his baking sheet and doused them in oil. This was nice, but it wouldn't last. She needed to get out of this, even if there were nice moments that made her want to stay. This was an exception, not the norm.

Tomorrow wouldn't be normal, though, because she was going to get on that goddamned train to Sapporo if it killed her. Which it might. It might very well kill her.

Azusa continued carving away at the pumpkin (which was looking great), and Ruki seasoned the pumpkin seeds and put them in the oven, and she tugged at her sleeves. Her stomach was churning, and her mouth was dry, and her hands were clammy against the fabric of her shirt.

She had made up her mind. There would only be one chance to get this right, but she was going to go. She needed to.

In one way or another, tomorrow, this all had to end.

* * *

 ***Tulsa is Ireland's equivalent to Child Protective Services**

 **Hey, sorry for taking so long to update! I've been very busy with work. I wanna get the next update out soon, though.**

 **Thanks so much for reading!**


	18. The Last Train Out of Asahikawa

Though the Mukami's limousine was well-heated, there was still a thin film of frost on the outer edges of the windows on the drive to school. Yuma had been irate when they had thrown sheets over his pumpkins earlier that day. It was going to be a cold night.

Her eyes kept drifting from the window to the others. Yui especially. She didn't want to think about the million ways this could go wrong, but she knew there was a very real possibility that this could be the last time she ever saw her, and Sunny couldn't get that off her mind. Yui always tried to take up a spot in the back corner of the limo, and her hair curled against the window and velvet seats as she pressed as far into the upholstery as she could. Sunny looked back out the window.

She was terrified. Her stomach had been twisting and turning all night long, and so had she, because there was so much on her mind that she hadn't been able to sleep at all.

The brothers didn't seem to notice how anxious she was, or if they did they didn't care. Yuma and Kou chatted amongst themselves. Ruki hadn't glanced up from his book once the entire ride. Azusa was picking at a loose thread in his seat. The ride continued in silence.

Sunny didn't even process her walk from the limo to class. She was in the car one minute and sitting in her seat the next, without any recollection of how she had gotten there. There were a few girls glaring at her from the other side of the classroom. Kou's fault, probably. She didn't care. Class started, and she counted down the seconds.

At nine thirty-five, twenty minutes into their first period, Sunny raised her hand and said she wasn't feeling well. Which she wasn't. Her stomach felt ready to burst. Kou couldn't catch her in a lie if she wasn't telling one.

It was unusual for someone to leave in the middle of class, and eyes followed her the whole way out, but she had good reason to believe this wouldn't raise suspicions. There was an exam before lunch, and Kou had pretty much sicced his fangirls on her the day before. She had reason to be nervous beyond what was about to happen.

The school's infirmary, by some miracle, was located off of the main office by the front entrance. Her mouth filled up with bile as she approached it.

Sunny walked past the infirmary and kept going. She pushed her way through the entrance and stepped outside onto the front lawn.

She had crossed the line. If one of them caught her, now, she'd be in deep shit.

Even as her heart hammered in her chest, she forced herself to keep a slow pace. A person running away from the school might catch someone's attention, and she didn't want anyone to be clued into her escape attempt. It would be too risky.

Sunny mumbled something about going home sick to the guard, and she must have looked truly awful, because he didn't even question it. He opened the door to the gate. She was sweating. Her hands were clammy. Sunny kept walking. She needed to stay calm. She walked down the block, then hung a left, and kept going until she couldn't see the entrance or the guard anymore.

Then, she broke into a sprint.

Her breath came out in ragged gasps. After nearly two months, she was ridiculously out of shape. Embarrassingly so. But she couldn't focus on that; she could only start running regularly again if she made it back home to Ireland in one piece.

Sunny's chest heaved as she tore through the city streets. Her breath fizzed in front of her in the cold night air. She frantically looked left and right, scanning every face out of fear that someone would turn out to be one of _them_ and searching for a sign that would point her where she needed to be. There weren't any signs for the JR.

It was nine forty-seven. The train would leave in thirteen minutes. She didn't have time to run around in circles. She couldn't afford to miss this next train and wait another forty minutes. First period ended at five past ten, and Kou might decide to check in on her in his five-minute break, and then…

Nine forty-eight. She ran up to a woman carrying a plastic bag of groceries, chest heaving. The woman looked startled, maybe even frightened by the weirdly desperate high-schooler asking her for directions, but she gave them regardless. Eight blocks forward, two to the left. She had twelve minutes.

Sunny had never ran this fast before. She was a distance runner, not a sprinter. Still, somehow, she made it to the station with four minutes to spare. Her lungs were burning, and her throat was sore. There was a gate to get into the station itself, and she would need to get a ticket to get through it, because it was an actual revolving metal door and not just a bar she could jump over. Shit. _Shit_! She coughed, then rushed past the auto-ticket machines and over to the information counter.

"I need to get on the next train to Sapporo," she rasped.

The man behind the counter barely even looked up from his work. "You can buy one from the ticket machines. Do you know how to use one?"

He was polite enough, but she didn't have time for this. "I don't have any money."

The man looked up. Nine fifty-seven. "I… I'm not sure I can help you out, miss."

"Please," she begged. "I need to get on this train. I don't have my wallet."

"I'm sorry," he said, apologetically. "But I'm not sure I can authorize that without having my manager waive it. There's another train at-"

"I can't take the other train. I need this one."

"I don't know what to tell you."

"Please, sir." Her voice climbed in pitch as she grew more and more desperate. She was shivering, partly due to the cold and partly because she was fucking _terrified_. This wasn't something she could screw up. Oh, _god_.

"I'm sorry, but I-"

"I apologize for interrupting, but I overheard your conversation," a deep voice spoke from behind her. "Can you not waive this yourself?"

Sunny turned around. A young man, who actually seemed to be around her age, stood behind her with his arms crossed. The man in the information booth's face went red. "Yes, but-"

"She looks distraught. Have some decency. You should waive her."

The man stammered for a few seconds, and then his eyes glazed over and his shoulders relaxed. "You're right. I'll… I'll allow it this once."

"Good." The younger man dipped his chin to look down at her, and Sunny could see a thin smile on his lips as the folds of his enormous black muffler sagged to reveal his mouth. "You can go through the gate with me. I happen to be going to Sapporo myself."

* * *

"Would you like to borrow this?" the young man asked. "You appear to be cold."

Sunny tore her eyes away from the window and glanced over at him. He was shrugging off his jacket. She nodded, and he handed it over.

"Thanks," she murmured, pulling the jacket around her shoulders and curling into herself as she turned back to the window, away from him. Sure, she was grateful he had helped her out and given her his jacket, but this boy was very formal and seemed a bit… strange, if she was being perfectly honest. He had struggled a good deal with the ticket machine, and she had been worried they would miss the train before the poor desk employee came over to help them out.

"I apologize if my language is difficult for you to understand," he said. "I am actually a transfer student from the United Kingdom."

She perked up and twisted back to face him again. "Really? You're from the UK? Where?"

He gave her an odd look. "…Wales."

 _"I'm from Ireland. We can speak in English, if you'd like,"_ she suggested, in English.

"No," he replied. "I would rather practice this language while I am here."

"Oh, okay, that's understandable." Sunny smiled at him. "Your Japanese is great, by the way. I can understand it fine; it's just a bit more formal than what I'm used to."

Formal wasn't the best way to put it, because his Japanese was almost _archaic_. She had no idea what his teacher back in Wales had been thinking. Him being a transfer student explained things well enough, though; the ticket machines had given her a hard time when she'd first arrived, too.

"I don't think I've introduced myself," she said, sheepishly. "I'm Sunny. I'm attending Ryoutei Academy this semester."

"I know," the boy said, tersely. She frowned, tugging his jacket even tighter around her shoulders. His eyes narrowed, and then he pointed at her chest. "Your buttons."

Sunny glanced down. She'd never even noticed that the buttons of her uniform had Ryoutei's crest on them before. "Oh! Duh, sorry."

"I am Carla."

"Nice to meet you," she said. "How long have you been in Japan for?"

"Three months."

"Oh, okay." He had come in July? Right after first term classes got out? And he _still_ hadn't figured out the JR machines? "Have you gotten a lot of sightseeing in?"

"Yes, I have been taking in as much as I can since I arrived," Carla explained. "Many things are different here from what I am accustomed to in… Wales."

"Yeah, I'm sure," she agreed, nodding her head. "Do you like it here?"

"Very much so."

"What are you going to Sapporo for?"

He tilted his head to the left. "There are a few museums I would like to visit this weekend. I plan to start with the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art and then go to the Migishi Kotaro exhibit down the block."

Sunny had no idea who Migishi Kotaro was, but she smiled at him anyway. "That sounds nice. I'm going to the Chrysanthemum Festival myself."

"Ah, I almost forgot about that," Carla said. "That's a shame; I suppose it might be difficult to sleep tonight with all the noise."

She blinked a couple of times. "Your hotel's near the festival?"

"Yes, between Odashi Park and the governor's residence."

Her mouth went dry. "O-oh, you're right!" she stammered. She needed to think, and quickly. "I'm staying near there too. I didn't even think about the possibility that it could be loud in the hotels!"

"Will you be fine getting into your hotel tonight?" he asked. "Without your wallet."

"I… I paid in advance," she lied. "Maybe we could… walk together, though? I haven't been in the area before."

"I suppose."

They continued talking for the remainder of the train ride. Sunny was driving their conversation, definitely (Carla kept replying in three or fewer words), but she was too giddy with freedom to care. She was on her way to Sapporo, talking to a _human_ boy for once, and headed to the governor's residence. Once she got there, she would tell him about how his awful sons were mistreating her and Yui, and he would help get them out of their situation. Based on everything she'd read in her textbooks and heard from Chie, she was certain he would. He _had_ to.

When their train pulled into the station at Sapporo, she all but skipped out of it, grinning from ear to ear. Carla trailed behind. He told her he had been to Sapporo before, and he could point to almost every landmark she asked about and tell her what it was. She was actually sightseeing in Japan! Sunny was ecstatic.

After a few minutes of her excitedly asking questions and him answering them, Carla offered to buy her something from a food stand. When she turned him down (he'd already done so much for her), he insisted, firmly, and things quieted down once she had her red bean-flavoured taiyaki in hand. It was delicious. She munched on it as they walked.

They reached a block lined with hotels of all shapes and sizes, and stopped outside a cute ryokan. Carla looked up at the sign, then back to her. "This is my hotel. Do you believe you can find yours from here?"

Though she was sad to see him go, Sunny nodded. He had been nothing but helpful, but she couldn't bring herself to potentially involve him in this mess. "I think so."

"You can always ask someone for directions. Most of these hotels also have maps."

"Okay, yeah." She tugged at the sleeves of her uniform, looking over his shoulder. Sure enough, there were tourism guides by the front desk, but also… a few hotel stationary pads. Her eyes widened. "Hey, Carla… can I ask you for one more favour?"

"I suppose."

She made her way into the lobby and grabbed a pen and sheet of paper. "Could you deliver a letter for me? I'm sorry, it's international postage, and you totally don't have to do this, but if you want to and can give me your contact information I can-"

"No need."

Sunny paused in her writing. "Are you sure?"

"This may be rude of me to assume," Carla began. "But you appear to be dealing with some… difficulties in your life now. You need not worry about repaying me. I only hope you make it through this."

"Oh. Um…" she stammered. "Me, too. And thank you."

She wrote out her letter to J.J., leaving out the vampires but desperately scribbling out a few sentences about her and Yui being in _"a bad situation"_ and putting in as much information about Ryoutei as she possibly could. And emphasizing how she should leave things to the authorities. If this went well, there was no need for her to be writing this, but if it didn't… even if she didn't want to consider the possibility of her not making it back to Ireland, she should at least _try_ to leave something behind to help Yui if her plan didn't work.

Sunny tore a second sheet of paper out and wrote J.J.'s address on it, biting her lip. She folded her letter into quarters and handed both pieces of paper and his jacket over. "Erm… it's kind of personal, so could you please not read the letter before you send it? Also, I don't have any stationary. Or money. So…"

"I understand." Carla tucked the slips of paper into his breast pocket. "You look upset again," he noted.

"I'm nervous. I… uh…" She clenched her fists around the hem of her skirt. "I have a very important meeting with someone. About… um… university. And I'm all jittery about it."

"If you have made the right connections, I have no doubt this will not end poorly for you."

She frowned. "Connections?"

"Ah, sorry. Decisions. Good choices regarding your academics."

It was odd of him to mess up that one word, but she was garbage at giving advice, too. Sunny chewed on her lip and nodded a few times, fighting back tears. "I really hope so."

He waved goodbye and walked over to the front desk. Sunny snatched up a few travel guides and made her way back onto the street.

When she looked back at the ryokan from the street, Carla was gone.

* * *

The governor's residence really was a few blocks from Carla's hotel. The yard took up two blocks, and it was all fenced in and surrounded by hedges two metres high. The front gate was chained and locked for the evening.

Well, she didn't have anything better to do… or a place to stay and wait out the night. Sunny went around the blocks, looking for a quieter place along the hedge. She found a section to her liking, made sure there was nobody around, and crunched her way through the hedge.

Sunny braced herself against the fence and used a few thicker branches to shimmy herself up. It took her a good while and multiple attempts, but she made it to the top, wheezing pathetically. She held her breath and launched herself over the top of the fence.

Her sleeve caught in once of the fence spikes. Sunny hissed and toppled over, falling gracelessly to the ground below.

She clutched at her forearm. The spike had torn through the sleeve and scraped her skin, and now she was bleeding. Fantastic. She took her jacket off and tied it around her arm. There were no guards around, so at least _something_ had gone well for her. Sunny got up and limped her way through the lawn.

She ducked behind trees and bushes as she made her way toward the house. The mansion itself wasn't hard to find; it was painted white and practically glowed against the city lights that managed to filter in over the top of the hedge. Breaking and entering a government office wasn't something she wanted put on her criminal record by any means, so she walked slowly, glancing left and right before sprinting out from behind each bush.

There had been no sign of any guards, which was… odd. Maybe Sakamaki Tougo was so popular with the people of Hokkaido that he hadn't thought hiring guards was necessary? Even though a lack of security did her favors, she couldn't help but feel antsy. The lawn was deathly silent; there weren't even any crickets chirping in the bushes. Sunny shivered and hugged her arms to her sides.

She made it to the mansion itself. The lights were all out, so she walked up to one of the windows on the ground floor and peered in. It just… looked like an ordinary fancy house? She didn't know what she'd been expecting. The idea that Sakamaki Tougo might not even be here occurred to her. That would explain why there appeared to be nobody around.

"Ah," a voice said, directly behind her. "I recognize that uniform."

Sunny jumped up and spun around, eyes wide. She hadn't even heard this guy approach her! It was dark, and she couldn't see very well, but he was taller than her and didn't look like a complete pushover, and that was all that mattered. _Shit_. "U-um… I'm lost-"

"I can imagine. Ryoutei is a long way from here," he replied. A pause. "Don't look so nervous, dear. I don't plan on calling the police, as you don't look like you're the type to try to throw bricks through my windows. However… may I ask why you are here?"

Sunny gaped at him. " _Your_ windows?"

"Well, of course… this is my home, after all. I'm Sakamaki Tougo, the governor," he replied, chuckling. When she didn't say anything in response, he tutted and tilted his head to the side. "It appears you injured yourself on the way in. Perhaps you will be more talkative once we bandage up that arm. Come along."

His tone was kind enough, but something told her that this man was not someone she wanted to disobey. She followed after him, anxiously wringing her hands out in front of her chest.

* * *

Sunny looked from her freshly-bandaged arm, to the mug of cocoa he had made for her, to the clock on the wall of Sakamaki Tougo's warmly-lit living room. One-thirty in the morning. She set her cup in her lap, eyeing him warily as he took a seat across from her.

"Thank you for doing this," she said. "It's… um… very much appreciated."

"Nonsense." He waved his hand dismissively. "I'm just glad you're okay. The fence could have done a lot more damage."

She gripped the mug tightly in her hands. "You… you have a very nice place here."

"Thank you." He smiled at her, and dimples formed in his cheeks. "So? What brings you to my house at this time of night?"

Sunny had been putting off this conversation because she didn't know how to go about it, but it was time for her to stop avoiding this. "I… uh… it's about your sons."

"I figured as much," he sighed. "They can be quite a handful."

"Yes… that's right," she stammered. Sunny swallowed, thickly. "Um… I can be frank with you, right? About exactly how… erm… _odd_ they are?"

"There's no need for you to skirt around the subject, dear. You wouldn't have come here and broken into my property if you didn't have good reason to. We both know that vampires exist. You can speak freely about them here."

Her hands were sweaty against the mug. "Oh. Well… uh… yeah, that's why I'm here."

He nodded. "Go on."

"Your sons have kinda… I'm more or less being held hostage? And there's this other girl in the same situation as me. Her name's Komori Yui. They called it something like a 'sacrificial brides' program? That isn't… were you aware of any of it?"

"So you _have_ met Eve." He leaned forward in his seat. "Yes, I know about the program."

Her stomach dropped. Eve. Something was wrong. "Th-then… you-"

"It appears there has been a mistake."

Sunny pressed her back into the armchair. "What do you mean by that?"

"I heard about a new girl arriving, but… when did you come to Japan? Early September, correct?"

"Yes, but…" Her hands were trembling so much, so she set the mug down on the table between them. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, it's unfortunate, but I told all the churches involved that we didn't want any other girls _months_ ago. You shouldn't have been sent here in the first place."

"Wait, what?" She gaped. She was here because her mother's church hadn't received his fucking memo? What kind of sick joke was this? "You're serious? Please, you have to send me and Yui back home and make sure the churches know to stop. They… they _kill_ whoever walks in!"

"No, no, you don't quite understand," he said. "We have no need for brides now that my sons have met Miss Komori, but I'm afraid I cannot let either of you go home."

"We won't tell anyone about you guys." Sunny's voice was barely audible. "I promise we won't. Just… this if this is all a big mistake… let us go. _Please_."

Sakamaki Tougo rose from his chair, and she cringed even farther into hers. "I realize this must be upsetting for you to hear. I'm sorry, but I cannot send you back." He frowned down at her. "I do respect your tenacity, however, so I can give you a few options. I assume you would rather not be separated from Miss Komori?"

Sunny still had one piece of information she could use as leverage. It was probably useless, but she had to _try_. "You won't be able to send me where Yui is. She isn't with your sons."

"That will not be a problem. I know you two have been staying in the Mukami household."

The blood drained from her face. "H-how do you know the Mukamis?"

"I am their benefactor, dear. They work for me."

"B-but… I thought that… I heard they worked for…"

"You didn't know? Ah, no wonder you came here," he mused. "Sakamaki Tougo is an alias that I use in the human world. My true title, however, is Karlheinz, and yes, I am the ruler of the demon world."

Sunny stared up at him, wide-eyed, as the gravity of her situation slowly dawned on her.

She was in deep shit.

"So? Would you like to return to the Mukamis?" he asked. "Or, though I doubt this will be the case, my sons?"

Sunny couldn't bring herself to say anything in response. Or anything at all.

"Your last option is for me to dispose of you now." Spoken casually, like he hadn't actually just offered to _kill_ her. "These last two months must have been distressing for you, and chances are you will die eventually even if they take you back, so I would understand if you wanted to end things here. Your death would be quick and painless."

Bile built up in her throat.

"Well, I suppose this is a difficult decision for someone to make," he conceded, sighing. "They might not even want you back in the first place. I'll call Ruki and get his thoughts on this first, okay? _Wait here_ , please."

Her limbs all froze up at once. She couldn't move. She couldn't fucking _move_! Sunny tried to open her mouth to say something, but her jaw was locked in place. She could barely even _blink_. What the hell had he _done_ to her?

Sakamaki Tougo - no, _Karlheinz_ \- walked into the next room. She could hear the sound of numbers being dialed, and then he came back into the living room holding a phone to his ear. By that point, tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't even move her hand to mop them up.

Karlheinz stared out the window. "Yes, Ruki?" He paused, then turned to look at her with an amused smile on his face, like they were sharing a cute little inside joke. "A bad time, you say? Are you, perhaps, looking for someone?" Another pause. "Yes, she's here. Would you like to speak with her? No? Alright."

He listened for a few seconds, grinning all the while like this entire situation wasn't an awful, horrible mess that _he_ had created. "No need to apologize. Mmhm. I'm calling to ask you if you want her back. If you don't, I can call my sons or just get rid of her. It's no skin off my back. Hm? Alright. Could you pick her up? I would, but I'm terribly busy this weekend, and you know how fragile humans' little brains are. Mmhm. I agree, it's too risky. When can I expect you? Alright. Alright. See you soon. Goodbye."

He hung up and took a seat across from her once again. "You're in luck; he'll be here in a half hour."

Karlheinz snapped his fingers, and she collapsed onto the floor like her bones had all suddenly turned to gelatin. She struggled to reacquaint herself with her limbs, not feeling lucky at all.

He was tapping his foot on the floor. "You _would_ still like to go back with him, correct? I suppose I should have asked before I hung up."

"I…" she gargled the words. "I don't know…"

"It would be rude of you to have Ruki come all the way out here for nothing. Make up your mind so I can call him back if necessary, please."

"I want to go _home_."

"That isn't going to happen. Sorry." He was getting impatient. She could tell from his tone. "Well? I need an answer, Miss Specht."

She ground her teeth together. "I'll… I'll go with him."

"Good. That settles things." The tapping stopped. "Your cocoa is probably cold. Would you like me to reheat it?"

Sunny peeled herself off of the floor and glared up at him. "I don't care. Sure."

"Mmm." He was still smiling. She wished she could tear his mouth off of his stupid, smug face. "I can see why he likes you. Ruki always has always been fond of challenges." Karlheinz picked up her mug. "I'll go take care of this. You can try to run if you'd like, but I can say with certainty that you wouldn't make it to the gates."

Karlheinz left to put her cocoa in the microwave, and Sunny crawled back into his armchair. She hadn't been able to do anything at all. This whole trip had been _worthless_. Sunny curled into herself, hugging her legs to her chest, and sobbed.

How the hell could things have gone this far wrong? She wasn't even sure she could count on J.J. to get her out anymore; she was dealing with the governor of the prefecture and the demon king himself. If anything, she had put her at risk. Jeannette didn't know about the vampires, but if she pressed too much… she even didn't want to think about what could happen to her. This had been a complete failure. _She_ was a complete failure.

And now, she hadn't accomplished anything, and Ruki was coming to pick her up.

Sunny's fingernails dug into the skin of her legs.

"These might be a bit large on you, but humour me and try them on anyway," he said, returning with her cocoa and a new shirt and some pants.

She hung her head, but obliged. They were too big. The hems ballooned around her wrists and ankles.

Karlheinz sighed. "I guess that will have to do."

He handed her a book of Sudoku puzzles and sat down across from her once again. She stared at the pages, seeing and feeling nothing. When she sipped her cocoa, she didn't taste it. The clock struck two. Everything was still.

When the doorbell sounded, she cringed into the armchair. Karlheinz perked up and walked out to greet Ruki like an old friend. Stupid. She'd been so _stupid_.

"It's good to see you!"

"I'm sorry about all of this."

"Again, there's no need for you to apologize. I don't mind having my routine shaken up every once in a while. It was entertaining."

"She's in the living room?"

"Correct. She's fine, but she had a little accident on the way in and scraped her arm."

There weren't any footsteps. One second they were in the entryway, and the next, Ruki was hovering over her. He grabbed her bad arm and hauled her to her feet. "We'll be on our way, then."

"There's no need to rush."

His hand tightened around her arm. Sunny winced. His teeth were bared. "She has already inconvenienced you enough."

"I can spare a few hours, a roll of gauze, and some cocoa," Karlheinz insisted. "The trains won't run for another three hours, and you should try to avoid early morning traffic. It can even get bad on weekends. I don't mind having guests."

He was going to tear her arm off at this rate. "That isn't necessary."

"I insist. This house isn't open to the public on weekends anyway. Like I said, there's no rush."

Sunny finally forced herself to sneak a glance at Ruki. His jaw was set, and she'd never seen this intense an expression on him before. It made sense. She _had_ just made him look bad in front of his boss, and he'd skipped school again because of it. She bit her lip.

"I don't want to be a burden to you."

"I've never thought of you as a burden, and I doubt I ever will," Karlheinz replied, warmly. "There's no need for you to be so stiff - your brothers won't starve if you're gone for a few hours or even a whole weekend. I have a spare guest bedroom. Take a break. Enjoy the festival."

Ruki's shoulders dropped, and his grip on her arm relaxed before he released her completely. "Fine."

Karlheinz's lips curled. "Good. The guest bedroom is up the stairs to your left. It should accommodate the two of you well enough. Would you like me to leave and get her some clothes that actually fit, or…?"

"You don't need to do that." Spoken through clenched teeth.

"Alright. I think I'll head over to the government center to do some late-night work. I'll leave you two to it, okay?"

He put on his coat, waved goodbye to them, and walked out. Sunny hugged her arms to her chest, trembling.

The door clicked shut behind Karlheinz. Ruki didn't say anything for a moment. The silence was heavy, weighing her down with dread. All she could do was wait for him to decide what he wanted to do to her, and the anticipation was _agonizing_.

Finally, he turned his head and glowered down at her. "Do you realize," he began. "What you did?"

"I really didn't know who he was before I left, but I do now. I'm sorry."

"How the hell did you even _get_ here?"

She cringed. "I ran to the train station. I… someone bought me a ticket because I guess I looked really pathetic, and then… I found a map and came here."

"Eve _did_ tell me that you liked going on runs at the Sakamaki mansion. I suppose I should have paid more attention at the time."

"You're being pretty hard on yourself," she replied, weakly.

"You know what I have to do, now."

She really _didn't_ know, and she didn't want to find out. "I… I promise I won't run away again."

His lips were a fine line. "Your word means nothing to me after the stupid little stunt you pulled tonight, but you are correct." Ruki leaned in. "You won't be running _anywhere_."

He grabbed her shoulders, and before she could even register it, she was in the living room again, flat on her back on the couch. Ruki loomed over her. "Don't move."

"W-what?" she stammered. He bunched up one of her trousers' legs, and her eyes widened in realization. "Wait… no… don't do this."

He wrapped his right arm around her exposed calf, bracing it against his torso, and then he grabbed the thin area just above her ankle with is left hand. "You should have considered the consequences before you left. You did this to yourself."

"Ruki no please no _please_ -"

With her leg anchored in place, he jerked his left arm back. She heard the snap.

He'd done it before she could even react. There was nothing for an instant, and then pain like she'd never experienced before.

Sunny clutched her leg and _screamed_.

* * *

In the crowded underground walkway, Sunny rocked back and forth and stared, vacantly, at a row of purple mums, trying to keep her mind off of the searing pain in her left leg. People milled about around her, but they were all courteous enough to keep their distance. Even with thousands of people packed into this enclosed space, everyone knew they should give a girl on crutches her space.

Ruki appeared at her side with a kebab in each hand. "Here."

She adjusted, winced, and took the chicken skewer. There was no way in hell she was going to thank him for it.

He took a bite of his and sighed, and his eyebrows scrunched together. "Are you going to sulk all day? You might as well enjoy yourself while you're here. We leave in forty minutes."

"I might be enjoying myself if you'd gotten me some goddamned _Tylenol_ ," she seethed, keeping her voice low.

"That would defeat the purpose," he replied, patting her on the back. "And I had my hands full with everything else."

She knew that his excuse was bullshit, but fighting back wasn't worth it. Her shoulders drooped, and her crutches dug into her armpits. He'd finally gotten her a fucking coat, at least, even if it was only to hide how awkward the clothes were underneath. Sunny gnawed on her kebab.

"It's a shame I didn't think to bring Yuma along," Ruki mused, leaning in to look at an enormous, grapefruit-sized bloom. "He'd appreciate this. He grows chrysanthemums himself, you know."

"Oh, I'm _well_ aware," Sunny muttered, wrinkling her nose.

He frowned. "Would it kill you to _pretend_ to be enjoying this?"

"Probably."

His lip curled. "You're such a child."

"Well, legally speaking, I _am_ one," she countered. "So what you did was definitely child abuse."

Ruki glanced left and right, then glared at her. "We can always wait in the station, or you could take a _nap_ before the train arrives. This is a privilege, you realize."

"I feel _so_ _privileged_ right now," Sunny hissed. She ground her teeth together and adjusted her grip, again, staring down at the flowers. "But no, this is fine. I just… I'm not feeling very good about things right now."

"Yes, I'm sure you aren't. For good reason." He paused, frowning, and then he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "That was a bit harsh. I apologize. Are you… still invested in Conrad?"

"I don't know, Ruki," she muttered. "I really don't. I'm sorry."

"We're almost finished with it, you know."

Her throat was tight. "And what happens afterwards?"

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "But I was thinking we start something a little less… bleak."

"And dry."

"You've never read Melville. Conrad isn't that bad," he grumbled.

Sunny hung her head and stared at her feet. One shoe. One unwieldy cast. She leaned forward, and her bangs fell over her forehead, obscuring her vision.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this."

He didn't say anything, and even though she knew his words wouldn't be kind, she still wished he would.

Thickness bubbled in her throat. "I'm just… I'm _so_ tired, all the time, and I don't even know what I'll be waking up for anymore, now. You're never going to let me go back home, are you? And… I can't get out myself. I just… I don't know."

Ruki snaked his arm behind her back and around her shoulder, tugged her over to his side, and leaned into her. They stood, side by side, in silence. She knew he was only doing this because there were tears streaming down her face and he didn't want anyone in the walkway to notice, but she tried to keep her pathetic sniffling to a minimum anyway. Easier said than done.

"Saying that upset you," he said, softly, after a few minutes. "Why do you think that is?"

"I don't fucking _know_ why," she sobbed. "My life isn't _my life_ anymore. It hasn't been for months, yeah, but… I always thought I could… I thought I could get out. But I can't. I _can't_ get out. And now… I don't know what to do."

"But the idea of ending things still upsets you."

"I hate you." She spat out the words. "I hate you _so much_."

He rested his head against hers. "Mhmm. And what about Azusa? And Eve?"

"Her name is Yui, you stuck-up _asshole_."

"They both like your company, and they'd be upset if you didn't return home."

"Your house isn't _my_ home. And don't bring them into this."

"Then I won't," Ruki murmured. "I would prefer not to go back empty-handed myself."

She stiffened. "I am _not_ going back so I can be your psychological crash test dummy."

"This isn't necessarily about that," he conceded, squeezing her against his side. "I don't wholly loathe what your presence brings to our house, believe it or not."

Sunny clenched her hands into fists. "There were a lot of qualifiers in that statement."

"Well, naturally. But they don't change the sentiment."

She snuffled and wiped her face. "I guess that's the closest thing I'm going to get to a compliment from you, huh?" Sunny forced a laugh. It came out sounding weak and pathetic.

He sighed. "You may not appreciate my telling you this, but I've been in hopeless situations before myself. They always seem insurmountable in the moment, but… I'm still here. All four of us are."

"That's rich, considering the four of you are the reason _I'm_ in an insurmountable situation _right now_."

"Figures," he muttered. Ruki stepped away from her and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll be frank with you. When that train leaves the station in twenty minutes, you're going to be on it, because I have invested in you, and in your well-being, and I am not going to give in because you're too caught up in what happened last night to think rationally."

She stared up at him. Opened her mouth. Closed it again. "You know you don't have to."

His eyes narrowed. "You can be incredibly frustrating. I _want_ to. For Azusa, and for Yui, and - _yes_ , to some extent - for myself."

Sunny bit her lip. She wasn't stupid enough to miss what he'd left out.

"You will keep living," Ruki continued. "I won't lie to you and say it will be easy, but you will go on, one day at a time, for as long as you remain valuable to us."

She met his gaze. His cold, grey eyes bored into hers, and she knew he had meant every word he said. Which… _hurt_. It really did.

"But… is anything going to _change_?" she asked.

He frowned down at her. "I don't know."

"Then _I_ don't know if I want to go with you."

Another sigh. "You don't have a choice."

She bunched up her shoulders, grimacing. "I know."

He stared at her for another moment. Then, he exhaled, closed his eyes, and ruffled her hair. "It's time to go."

Sunny looked back down at the chrysanthemums. Even if she didn't like them that much, she would have preferred to stay here, with them. In Sapporo. Away from all her troubles in _their_ house, living by _their_ rules, in _their_ _world_. But that wasn't realistic. This was her reality, now, and as much, as _desperately_ as she didn't want it to be… it _was_.

He followed her gaze, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Ruki put a finger to his lips, reached down, and discreetly plucked a tiny white bloom off of one of the prize displays, which he definitely wasn't supposed to do. Her eyes widened. He reached out, smiling, and tucked the flower behind her ear.

"Are you ready to leave, Sunny?" he asked, quietly. Gently.

She didn't say anything for a little while - a _long_ while - but finally found her tongue. "Yeah, I think… I think I am."

He nodded. Sunny didn't know if she _was_ ready, truthfully, but her wishes still didn't mean anything to him. To _them_. She could only hope that someday, _she_ would.

Ruki put his hand on her back, and Sunny adjusted on her crutches, and they walked together, slowly and silently, back to the station to catch their train.

* * *

 **This story is a two-parter, and this is the last chapter of the first part. I will post the epilogue soon.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading! Your feedback has meant the world to me.**

 **I'll see you all soon with the epilogue :)**


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